As you might recall, the first time I tried to make candy corn, Annabelle remarked that it looked like I was making Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

Not this time. I nailed it, if I do say so myself. And it wasn’t the salted butter — the recipe I tried this time actually called for it. It’s easy! No candy thermometer, no mixer. Just don’t stir vigorously when it tells you to stir occasionally; I think that was the first batch’s downfall.

In fact, I think I’ll try another batch for this weekend’s festivities. (I’m cocky now, which can’t be a good thing….)

One problem with that homemade candy corn is that it’s got to have a day’s allotment of calories per piece — I’d call each piece a serving; mine turned out rather large, about the equivalent of four or 5 pieces of store bought candy corn. And these have butter in them.

So I recommend balancing the homemade candy corn with my mom’s creative recipe for candy corn parfaits, which she made for my birthday. She took vanilla sugar free/fat free pudding and made it according to the recipe on the box — but added a little rum extract to cut the taste of the artificial sweetener. Then she added food coloring to make half the pudding orange and half yellow (pale versions). Swirl that in the bottom of the cup and top with lite Cool Whip.

I’d say that recipe kicks Hungry Girls’ little butt.

My mom topped her parfaits with a Reeses piece, but I suspect that’s only because she’s afraid to keep real candy corn in the house (which would have looked cute as a topper) for fear she’d eat the entire bag in the middle of the night. I know I would.