A UNIQUE Treat

CREATED BY: Shelly Rees

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 Candy Corn – A Unique Treat
Every Halloween, thousands of children dressed in costumes walk door to
door to collect candy and sweet treats. One particular treat, candy corn, has
been a Halloween favorite for over 100 years! In fact, candy corn has its own
special day, National Candy Corn Day, on October 30th.
In the 1800’s, candy-maker George Renninger, who worked for the
Wunderlee Candy Company invented the unique, or one of a kind, corn-
shaped candy. It was an instant hit. In fact, it was very popular among
farmers.
Candy corn today is much like the candy corn of the late 1800’s, although
the process of making it is quite different. Long ago, workers mixed sugar,
water, and corn syrup in large kettles and then added fondant (a smooth,
sugary, creamy icing) and marshmallows. After cooking for the correct
amount of time, they then poured the mixture by hand into molds, one color at
a time. First they poured yellow, then orange, and finally white. After
hardening, workers would remove the candy from each mold and package it
for sale. Because the process was so incredibly time-consuming, candy corn
was only sold from March to November.
Today, the process is much simpler because of machines. The “corn
starch molding process” helps create thousands of candy corn pieces much
more quickly than the hand-made process. A machine fills molds with
cornstarch. The molds are designed so the candy corn is standing upright as
it is being made. Each hole is then machine-filled partway with a sweet white
syrup, followed by a layer of orange syrup, and finally a layer of yellow syrup.
After the molds are filled, they cool and the candy hardens for 24 hours. After
the cooling period, another machine empties the trays, and the kernels are
pushed into chutes, or tubes or slides. The extra cornstarch on the sides of
the candies is shaken loose, and the candy is given a coating of sugary glaze
to make it shiny and appealing. Workers then package the candies for sale in
stores.
How much candy corn is sold each year? The number
is staggering. According to the National Confectioners
Association, various candy companies and candy makers
will produce nearly 35 million pounds of the corny candy
this year. That's about 9 billion individual kernels of corn.
Now, that’s a lot of corn!

©Shelly Rees
 Candy Corn – A Unique Treat
Name: ______________________________ Date: _______________
Answer the following questions:

1. Who invented candy corn and when was it first created?

______________________________________________________________________

2. With what group of people was the first candy corn most popular? Why
do you think this group of people especially like the candy?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

3. When is National Candy Corn Day?

______________________________________________________________________

4. Name 5 main ingredients of hand-made candy corn.

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

5. How much candy corn is sold each year?

______________________________________________________________________

6. In the 4th paragraph, what does the word “chutes” mean?

a. molds b. board games
c. hallways d. tubes for sliding objects or people

7. How is making candy corn today different from the process used in the
1800s? Give details from the article to support your answer.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
©Shelly Rees
 Candy Corn – A Unique Treat
ANSWER KEY
1. Who invented candy corn and when was it first created?
George Renninger invented candy corn in the late 1800s.

2. With what group of people was the first candy corn most popular? Why
do you think this group of people especially like the candy?
Farmers especially liked the candy when it was first made. Suggested
answer: They liked the candy because it reminded them of the crop they
grew.

3. When is National Candy Corn Day?

October 30th is National Candy Corn Day.

4. Name 5 main ingredients of hand-made candy corn.

Sugar, water, corn syrup, fondant, and marshmallow were the 5 main
ingredients in the original candy.

5. How much candy corn is sold each year?

35 million pounds or 9 billion individual pieces of candy corn are sold each
year.

6. In the 4th paragraph, what does the word “chutes” mean?

a. molds b. board games
c. hallways d. tubes for sliding objects or people

7. How is making candy corn today different from the process used in the
1800s? Give details from the article to support your answer.
Suggested answer: The candy corn-making process today is much
different that the process used in the 1800s because machines are used
today. Originally, the candy had to be mixed by hand and poured into
molds by hand. It was very time-consuming. Today, machines do all
the mixing, pouring, and packaging, so much more candy can be
produced in a shorter time period.

©Shelly Rees
 Hello!
I’m Shelly Rees – an educational blogger, curriculum
designer, and owner of Appletastic Learning. With over
23 years of teaching in the upper elementary grades,
I love creating time-saving and engaging resources.
My goal is always to help teachers feel less stress and
students experience higher levels of growth and
learning. Visit me at www.appletasticlearning.com.

Connect with Me!

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