Who doesn’t want to cap off a day spent relaxing or frolicking (or a mix of both) on the beach with some delicious homemade candies that will satiate your sugar craving? At Candymaker Candy Store in Destin you can have your candy and eat it too, and also browse a variety of local gifts and souvenirs to take home from your family vacation.
Candymaker began with owner Tom Ehlke experimenting with ways to make the best saltwater taffy around after he had seen the popularity of the treat in local shops. He eventually opened the current store in Destin in 1992, and his original saltwater taffy is still one of the most popular items that he sells. It’s always made fresh daily on-premises, and it comes in 16 different flavors and a variety pack if you simply can’t decide which to get.
It’s not all about the taffy anymore, however, as Candymaker has since expanded their offerings to include a full line of confections and chocolate treats to please any person’s sweet tooth. You can never go wrong with a bag of their perfectly sweet and chewy caramels, and you can get them coated in sea salt for an extra flavor boost. Meanwhile, the pecan log is one of the most unique candies you’ll find anywhere, and with a center of divinity candy wrapped in caramel and coated in pecans, it’s a delight for all the senses.
Chocolate lovers will go nuts for the homemade fudge at Candymaker, which comes in a variety of enticing flavors such as milk chocolate and pecan, key lime, and caramel sea salt. They are sweet without being cloying, and they have that perfect dense and chewy texture that makes you keep going back for bite after bite.
While the taffy, candies, and chocolates are the stars of the show, there’s more than just sweets on display at Candymaker. The flagship shop in Destin also features a variety of gifts and souvenirs that you can purchase to commemorate your trip, or bring home to a loved one. Also, you can grab a coffee to sip on while you’re perusing everything there is to see in the store.
It’s easy to browse the aisles of any grocery store and see more candy and chocolate than you could fit in your car. But the special thing about a visit to Candymaker Candy Store is knowing that they make everything that they sell right there in the shop from scratch. Candy may be a dime a dozen these days, but Candymaker represents a throwback to a time before everything was mass-produced, and they make some incredibly delicious confections to boot. Stop in for a few sweet treats on your beach vacation, and you just might find yourself returning over and over again.
Insider Tip:
– The Destin location of Candymaker Candy Store also serves a traditional southern breakfast until noon during the months of March through October. Come enjoy a hearty breakfast with your family right next to the Gulf of Mexico, and then pick up a few sweet treats for later.
– Don’t forget to ask for a free sample of their famous saltwater taffy so you can find the perfect flavor before you buy.