HALLOWEEN 2026 • ORDERS SHIP MID-OCTOBER

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TRICKED BY THE TREAT VS. TRADITIONAL CANDY

We won by knockout.

A Tricked by the Treat sunflower butter cup boxer celebrates while a conventional peanut butter cup boxer catches its breath

We paired 10 Tricked by the Treat candies with 10 familiar candies of the same type—cup with cup, bar with bar and lollipop with lollipop. Then we compared the same amount of each.

51.5% less sugar on average
across 10 head-to-head matchups

THE OFFICIAL SCORECARD

Round by round, here’s how we won.

Every matchup puts two similar candies in the ring. First, you’ll see the sugar listed on each package. Then we level the playing field by comparing the same 100 g of each candy—so you can see exactly which treat comes out ahead.

01

Zollipops Original vs Dum-Dums Original Mix

100% less sugar

TBTT pick label0 g sugar in a 13 g serving

Familiar candy label9 g sugar in a 13 g serving

At equal weight0.0 g sugar vs 69.2 g sugar per 100 g

Beyond sugar

Zollipops use isomalt, erythritol and stevia instead of sugar and color the pops with fruit and vegetable ingredients. On the Dum-Dums label: sugar and corn syrup are the first two ingredients, followed by artificial flavor and four synthetic dyes—Red 40, Yellow 6, Yellow 5 and Blue 1.

Zollipops source ↗Dum-Dums source ↗
02

SkinnyDipped Peanut Butter Cup vs Reese’s Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

61.8% less sugar

TBTT pick label3 g sugar in a 15 g serving

Familiar candy label11 g sugar in one 21 g cup

At equal weight20.0 g sugar vs 52.4 g sugar per 100 g

Beyond sugar

SkinnyDipped uses cane sugar, maple sugar and chicory-root fiber and states that it contains no sugar alcohols, artificial colors or artificial flavors. On the Reese’s label: three added sweeteners—sugar in the chocolate, more sugar and dextrose—plus PGPR and the preservative TBHQ “to maintain freshness.”

SkinnyDipped source ↗Reese’s source ↗
03

Harken Lil’ Gooey Ones vs Milky Way Fun Size

60.0% less sugar

TBTT pick label4 g sugar in a 17 g serving

Familiar candy label10 g sugar in a 17 g serving

At equal weight23.5 g sugar vs 58.8 g sugar per 100 g

Beyond sugar

Harken starts with dates and includes prebiotic tapioca fiber and sunchokes. On the Milky Way label: corn syrup, sugar, palm oil and artificial flavor; artificial flavor appears both inside the milk-chocolate ingredients and again at the end of the full ingredient list.

Harken label source ↗Milky Way source ↗
04

UNREAL Dark Chocolate Coconut Mini vs Mounds Snack Size

51.4% less sugar

TBTT pick label3 g sugar in a 15 g serving

Familiar candy label7 g sugar in one 17 g piece

At equal weight20.0 g sugar vs 41.2 g sugar per 100 g

Beyond sugar

UNREAL’s ingredient list is coconut, cassava syrup and dark chocolate. On the Mounds label: corn syrup and sugar, a blend that may include five different vegetable oils, PGPR, natural flavor and the sulfiting preservative sodium metabisulfite “to maintain freshness.”

UNREAL source ↗Mounds source ↗
05

Bouchard 72% Dark Belgian Chocolate vs Hershey’s Special Dark

50.3% less sugar

TBTT pick label8 g sugar in a 30 g serving

Familiar candy label22 g sugar in a 41 g serving

At equal weight26.7 g sugar vs 53.7 g sugar per 100 g

Beyond sugar

Bouchard has four ingredients: unsweetened chocolate, sugar, low-fat cocoa and sunflower lecithin. On the Hershey’s label: sugar is the first ingredient, followed by chocolate and cocoa butter; the formula also includes milk fat, soy lecithin, PGPR and natural flavor.

View Bouchard label ↗Hershey’s source ↗
06

Wild West Pumpkin Spice & Pecan Bear Claw vs Russell Stover Milk Chocolate Pecan Delight

47.7% less sugar

TBTT pick label3 g sugar in a 13 g serving

Familiar candy label15 g sugar in a 34 g serving

At equal weight23.1 g sugar vs 44.1 g sugar per 100 g

Beyond sugar

Wild West has 0 g added sugar and sweetens its oatmilk chocolate with powdered date, mulberry, peach and mango. On the Russell Stover label: four forms of added sugar—sugar, corn syrup, invert sugar and brown sugar—plus palm-kernel oil, natural flavors and vanillin (artificial flavor). This is a pecan-cluster comparison; the recipes are not identical.

Wild West nutrition ↗Russell Stover source ↗
07

UNREAL Caramel Peanut Nougat Bar vs Snickers Fun Size

40.3% less sugar

TBTT pick label6 g sugar in a 19 g serving

Familiar candy label9 g sugar in a 17 g serving

At equal weight31.6 g sugar vs 52.9 g sugar per 100 g

Beyond sugar

UNREAL uses cassava syrup and cane sugar and does not list artificial flavor. On the Snickers label: corn syrup, sugar, palm oil and artificial flavor.

UNREAL source ↗Snickers source ↗
08

Blake’s Original Crispy Treat vs Rice Krispies Treats Original

37.5% less sugar

TBTT pick label5 g sugar in a 22 g serving

Familiar candy label8 g sugar in a 22 g serving

At equal weight22.7 g sugar vs 36.4 g sugar per 100 g

Beyond sugar

Blake’s is vegan and made without the top nine major allergens. On the Rice Krispies Treats label: five sweeteners—corn syrup, fructose, sugar, corn-syrup solids and dextrose—plus gelatin, artificial flavor, DATEM, acetylated monoglycerides and the preservatives TBHQ and BHT “for freshness.”

Blake’s source ↗Rice Krispies Treats source ↗
09

Free2b Sunflower Butter Sun Cup vs Reese’s Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

36.4% less sugar

TBTT pick label5 g sugar in a 15 g serving

Familiar candy label11 g sugar in one 21 g cup

At equal weight33.3 g sugar vs 52.4 g sugar per 100 g

Beyond sugar

Free2b replaces peanut butter with sunflower-seed butter and is made without peanuts or dairy; its label does not list PGPR or TBHQ. On the Reese’s label: three added sweeteners—sugar in the chocolate, more sugar and dextrose—plus PGPR and the preservative TBHQ “to maintain freshness.”

View Free2b label ↗Reese’s source ↗
10

Enstrom Milk Chocolate Almond Toffee vs Heath Snack Size

29.4% less sugar

TBTT pick label6 g sugar in a 14 g serving

Familiar candy label8.5 g sugar in one 14 g piece

At equal weight42.9 g sugar vs 60.7 g sugar per 100 g

Beyond sugar

Enstrom starts with butter, sugar and almonds before the milk-chocolate coating. On the Heath label: sugar is first, followed by a four-oil blend—palm, shea, sunflower and palm-kernel oil—before dairy butter and almonds; it also lists reduced-protein whey, lecithin and natural flavor.

View Enstrom label ↗Heath source ↗

Sugar was only round one.
Now for the rest of the fight.

The ingredient lists reveal synthetic dyes, preservatives, emulsifiers and long, interchangeable oil blends that many families would rather keep out of the candy bowl. Here’s what those ingredients do—and why we call them out.

Synthetic food dyes

Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 and Blue 1 add color. A California state review concluded that synthetic dyes can contribute to hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral effects in some children, while sensitivity varies from child to child.

Read the state review ↗

TBHQ and BHT

These are antioxidants used to keep fats and oils from becoming rancid. TBHQ and BHT explain “for freshness” on the labels above; they are not sweeteners. The FDA began a new post-market assessment of BHT in 2025.

Read the FDA overview ↗

PGPR, DATEM and other emulsifiers

PGPR helps chocolate flow; DATEM, acetylated monoglycerides and lecithin control texture and keep ingredients mixed. They are formulation tools that help mass-produced candy flow, hold together and stay consistent. Useful in a factory, yes—but they also make for a longer, more engineered ingredient list.

See how additives are used ↗

Sodium metabisulfite

This sulfiting agent helps maintain freshness. The FDA requires sulfites at 10 parts per million or more to appear on labels partly because they can cause reactions, including asthma, in sensitive people.

Read the FDA guidance ↗

Seed oils and mixed vegetable oils

Mounds, Heath and Rice Krispies Treats rely on blends that include sunflower, safflower or soybean oils alongside palm, palm-kernel or shea. They help manage texture and shelf life. Some labels use “and/or,” so the wrapper may not even tell you which oils ended up in the piece. That is a real transparency difference from a shorter, fixed recipe.

See the cited candy labels above ↑

Artificial flavor

“Artificial flavor” is a label category rather than one specific ingredient. Calling it out lets shoppers distinguish products made with listed foods and extracts from products that use a nonspecific artificial-flavor blend.

Read the labeling rule ↗
Choose your Halloween treats

How to read this page

The percentages compare total sugar per equal product weight, not added sugar, calories, glycemic response or the amount in a differently sized package. The 51.5% claim is the simple average of these 10 displayed comparisons only. Product formulas and labels can change; exact package labels control. Sources were checked September 20, 2026.

Comparison-brand names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Tricked by the Treat is not affiliated with or endorsed by those brands.