Exploring One of Minnesota's Top Artisanal Candy Boutiques

I'm a sucker for a good candy shop. Places like the Chocolate Ox in Nisswa, Great! Lakes Candy Kitchen near Duluth and Candyland, Tremblay's Sweet Shop, Barbara Anns Fudge Shoppe and the Blue Sun Soda and Sweets Shop -- all in Stillwater. There's nothing like those hand-dipped goodies that make your mouth water and has me reaching for my wallet.

That's why when I saw Canelake's Home Made Candies of Virginia, Minnesota online, I knew I would need to add them to my culinary bucket list.

The oldest candy store in Minnesota, Canelake's has been making handmade candies since 1905 when four entrepreneurial brothers from Greece -- Christ, Gust, Tom and Nick Canelake -- started the "Virginia Candy Kitchen." According to the store's website, the family's still using their old recipes making candy in copper kettles in small batches using great chocolate with lots of cream and butter.

But not just chocolate.

They make caramel pecan turtles, hot air (angel food or sponge candy), caramels and caramel apples, handmade hard candies and lollipops, fudges, brittles and other goodies, to name just a few of their sweet treats.

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The thing is, all of these goodies are made the old-school way, by hand or with antique machinery. And that's why they look like old fashioned, handmade candies -- because they are.

I hope to make it the Range later this summer and hope to visit Canelake's. They're open 7 days a week during the summer.