We Have a Chicago Candy Bracket Champion: Frango Mints!

Chicago Stories: Candy Capital is now available to stream on the PBS app and on the website.

Alongside Chicago Stories: Candy Capital and just in time for Halloween, we’ve had a pretty sweet competition going: What is Chicago’s favorite candy? Chicago has spoken and has declared Frango Mints the winner! Here are the results from the final round:

Frango Mints: 65%
Butterfinger: 35%

Now, for a little bit of history about our winner: The Frango name was actually not born in Chicago, and the original Frango treat was not even a mint – it was a frozen, custard-like dessert with maple flavoring.

“Frango Mints were actually invented in Seattle at Frederick and Nelson department store,” Leslie Goddard, author of Chicago’s Sweet Candy History, told Chicago Stories. “When Marshall Field’s bought Frederick and Nelson in 1929, they got the right to the term Frango.”

Following World War II, Marshall Field’s, which had a kitchen in its State Street store, developed Frango Mints, a minty, chocolate truffle. They were marketed as an exclusive indulgence and have become a beloved souvenir for visitors and a delightful holiday tradition for many Chicagoans.

To learn more about the other noble competitors in our bracket – all of which was born here, made here, or linked with famous Chicago institutions – check out the Candy Capital companion website!