The counter

Our candies

Six candies, made one batch at a time between September and June. The flavours are described below; the exact recipes are not, because guessing is half the pleasure and we would hate to take it from you.

Before you read on

We describe what each candy tastes like, but we do not publish full ingredient lists or recipes. If you have an allergy or a dietary restriction, tell us in your order request and we will send you the complete ingredient and allergen information for that specific batch before you decide anything. That part is never a mystery.

Handmade lollipop with a deep plum rim fading to a glowing amber centre, resting on linen.

Lollipop · 3.4 in · birch stick

Midnight Orchard

Black currant wrapped around a core of burnt honey. Dark at the edge, glowing in the middle.

The story. Midnight Orchard started as a mistake in October 2019. I had a batch of black currant candy that I let take colour for too long, and the edges went almost black while the centre stayed the colour of a kerosene lamp. I kept it, we put it on the counter as the mistake of the week, and now it is the one people ask for by name.

What it tastes like. The first ten seconds taste like dark fruit and cold air. Then the honey core arrives — slightly smoky, rounder than you expect — and the two hold together until the end. Nothing sharp, nothing medicinal. The finish is long and a little like tea that has steeped a minute too long, in the good way.

What it looks like. Deep plum fading to amber, with fine concentric lines you only notice when you hold it up to a window.

FormatSingle lollipop on a birch stick
SizeAbout 3.4 inches across
BatchForty pieces per cook
Best withBlack coffee, or a long walk

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Clear handmade lollipop with burnt orange, cream and charcoal swirls on a dark slate plate.

Lollipop · clear candy · hand-pulled spiral

Copper Comet

Blood orange and smoked vanilla, pulled through clear sugar in a spiral that never repeats.

The story. Every Copper Comet comes off the same slab, so the pattern is never the same twice. We fold dark, cream and copper stripes into clear sugar, pull the whole thing thin, and cut it while it is still warm enough to give a little. The spiral happens because the sugar decides it will.

What it tastes like. Bright orange peel first, then something softer underneath — vanilla that has been near a fire rather than in it. The clear parts taste cleaner and slightly thinner than the striped parts, and that is not your imagination: they are a different syrup, folded in on purpose.

What it looks like. Copper, charcoal and cream lines trapped in a transparent disc, with edges cut by hand rather than by a die.

FormatSingle lollipop
SizeAbout 3 inches across
PatternNo two are alike
BatchThirty pieces per cook

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Translucent faceted candies in pale green and violet, arranged like small crystals on stone.

Faceted candy · no stick · boxed

Glass Garden

Clear sugar pressed into low pyramids and shards, tinted pear and violet.

The story. The shapes come from a mould a glassblower in Northeast Minneapolis made for us in 2018. We pour hot candy into it, wait nine minutes, and the pieces come out looking like something that belongs in a mineral collection rather than a sweet shop.

What it tastes like. Pear first — cool, a little green — then violet at the back of the mouth, the flavour you remember from a particular kind of pastille. It is the quietest candy we make and usually the one that surprises people most.

What it looks like. Pale green and soft violet inside clear sugar; light passes through and lands on the table in colour.

FormatBoxed assortment of shapes
SizeAbout 1 inch each
CountTwelve pieces per box
Best withTea, after dinner

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Pieces of amber honey candy with a honeycomb texture, one held up against the light.

Broken slab · irregular pieces

The Quiet Bee

Amber honey candy with toasted fennel and a scatter of gold-coloured flecks.

The story. We cook this one darker than anything else in the shop — right to the edge of too far — which is why it tastes like honey that has been in the cupboard a while. It goes into a slab, cools, and gets broken with the back of a wooden spoon. The pieces are supposed to be uneven.

What it tastes like. Wildflower honey, and a savoury note that takes a second to name: toasted fennel seed. It keeps the sweetness from tiring you out. Some pieces are darker than others, so the first bite is never quite the same twice.

What it looks like. Deep amber glass with a honeycomb pattern pressed into one face and fine gold flecks suspended inside.

FormatBroken slab in a paper bag
SizePieces between 1 and 2 inches
WeightAbout 4 ounces
Best withA sharp cheese, oddly enough

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Small white pyramid candies with pale blue stripes arranged on a grey stone plate.

Layered pyramids · no stick

Snowline Sherbet

White candy with ice-blue stripes, lemon cream and a whisper of star anise.

The story. A friend who grew up in Duluth asked for “something that tastes like the lake in January but isn't sad.” This is what we arrived at after four attempts: lemon cream, star anise, and stripes that fade as they climb.

What it tastes like. Lemon cream at the start — soft, almost like the filling of a good pastry — then star anise drifts in at the end and makes the whole thing taste colder than it actually is. It is not mint. People argue with us about this.

What it looks like. White with pale blue bands fading toward the tip; crisp geometric edges and a dusting of fine sugar.

FormatLoose pyramids in a box
SizeAbout 1.2 inches tall
CountSixteen per box
Best withCold sparkling water

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Rose and peach swirled handmade lollipop propped on a small ceramic dish.

Lollipop · swirl · autumn only

Paper Lantern

Raspberry and pink peppercorn in a rose-and-peach swirl, made September to November.

The story. The last candy we make before the holidays take over the kitchen. The swirl is a plain spiral, but the two pinks sit close enough together that the pattern only really appears when light gets behind it.

What it tastes like. Raspberry jam first, generous and familiar, and then a small warm prickle from pink peppercorn that arrives after you have stopped paying attention. It is the only candy here that people call “grown up” without meaning it as an insult.

What it looks like. Rose and peach spiralling into a pale apricot centre, with fine white lines running through the glass.

FormatSingle lollipop
SizeAbout 3.6 inches across
SeasonSeptember to November
BatchThirty-six per cook

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Samplers & boxes

Not sure where to start?

Most people begin with a mixed box: one of everything, or one of four with a note about which ones you liked. We build the box around what you tell us in the request form — if you hate anise, we will not put Snowline Sherbet in the middle of it.

We also make larger boxes for weddings, office tables and other gatherings. Those need a little more notice, usually two to three weeks, and we will always tell you honestly whether the date is possible before you commit to anything.

Request a mixed box

What a request costs you

Nothing. The form is a request, not an order. We reply with availability, price and timing, and you decide from there. There is no cart and no online payment anywhere on this site.

Where the flavours come from

Some are old ideas done properly — burnt honey, pear and violet, raspberry jam. Others started as a request from a customer or a friend that we could not get out of our heads. The story page explains how the six were chosen.

Next batch

Tell us what you would like us to make.

We take requests by email rather than through a shopping cart, because every batch is planned by hand. Send us a note and we will confirm flavours, quantity, price and a pick-up or shipping date.

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Workshop

2717 Huntington Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55416

Phone

+1 (612) 871-5147

Email

info@vexquri.cfd