My love for Atkinson candy is well documented. But until now, I have only sampled products that encompass ingredients they are known for. What I mean by this is that Atkinson primarily centers its products on coconut, peanuts/peanut butter, and various nuts. Of course other candy companies use these ingredients, but few do so to the extent that Atkinson does.

But there is more to the Atkinson family than those staple ingredients. You see, the full name of Atkinson is Judson-Atkinson. That is because Atkinson has acquired many candies companies over the years, including fellow Texan confectionery Judson Candies, in 1983.

Judson Candies has the distinct honor of being able to claim that it pioneered the sour ball. Creator J.W. Judson was attempting to create a tart jellybean, and in the process he developed cherry sours in 1910.

There are several varieties of sours out there, but I decided the best to sample was Judson-Atkinson Assorted Sours mix because it included cherry, the original sour, as well as four other flavors.

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I bought a bag of Jolly Rancher Screaming Sours, or at least I think I did. While organizing my closet, yet another task/excuse to put off completing my graduate school applications, I stumbled across the candy.

I know I didn’t buy them in Texas, so they must have somehow sneaked their way with me from Los Angeles, making them at least a year old. Rather than treat this as an ew… old candy moment, I figured all the preservatives in a gummi candy must still make them edible. You never know – this could be like finding a twenty-dollar bill in an old pair of jeans.

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My favorite candy company that I can never remember is Perfetti Van Melle. Born out of the fusion of Perfetti (Italy) and Van Melle (Netherlands), this company boasts one of the largest confectionery operations in the world.

But, if you don’t recognize the name, you might be wondering what they make. Well, aside from their long list of gums and mints that enjoy mostly a European audience, Americans can buy their famous Mentos and Chupa Chups quite easily in their hometowns.

Oh yeah, they also make Airheads. For those who aren’t familiar with Airheads, they’re an elongated strip (as opposed to a circular blob) of taffy/chew known for their sweet flavors. I’ve actually been a fan of this candy for some years, finding it to be a perfect snack when you don’t want something as filling as a candy bar.

So I was eager to try these new Airhead Pops when I spotted them at Walgreens. Airheads have always been good on delivering flavor, so I reasoned that since the most important aspect of a lollipop is its flavor, these might stack up pretty well.

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Photo by Anthemic Tangle
One of the best things about Halloween for me is the post-Halloween candy sale. I get to try out all sorts of fun stuff while extending the Halloween spirit for as long as the candy lasts.

Being a Jolly Rancher fan, I immediately gravitated to the Jolly Rancher Creepy Pops. Plus, I love lollipops so I couldn’t wait to try these.

Photo by Anthemic Tangle

The bag has four flavors: wacky watermelon, spooky blue raspberry, ghastly grape, and eerie apple. Each pop is individually wrapped but you can tell what flavor you’ll be getting because you can see the color through the wrapper.

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There are many food associations for the month of October and Halloween. But personally, I can think of no other recipe that rings as true to this autumnal month than baked apples.

Apples themselves are an odd entity in the candy world, mainly lending themselves to either a sour apple flavoring or through the ever-popular candy apple. Aside from those formats, one rarely finds apple anywhere in the candy world.

So why am I talking about fruit when it is the antithesis of the holiest candy holiday of the year? Because you can’t just serve your guests candy at your Halloween party! Well… you could, but you shouldn’t. That is why instead of my typical candy bar for the month, I thought up a recipe that combines my favorite things about apples and gave them a candy makeover.

In the end, I decided I would combine my favorite elements to create a hybrid between a baked apple and a candy apple. The result is October’s candy recipe for what I call the Grand Apple, the perfect treat to serve any guest, whether they be a sugar-loving child or a nutrition-stubborn parent.

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