Amy's Candy Bar offers delightful and unique sweet treats

December 22, 2012 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- When Amy Hansen opened "Amy's Candy Bar" along a quiet stretch in Ravenswood, she figured she would have a combination of imported sweets, as well as a few things she'd make herself.

"We sell all types of candy," the French Pastry School-educated chef said. "I have hand-crafted candy that I make here; we're most known for the caramels and the turtles."

The caramels alone are worth the trip.

"It's the best stuff in the store, and it's what people come back for," Hansen said.

Hansen begins her small batch by heating up sugar and cream, whisking fairly vigorously. Then she adds an imported puree of mango and passionfruit.

"I use a European butter, I also use organic cream; glucose instead of corn syrup. And then vanilla bean and sea salt and it's a very buttery caramel that almost melts in your mouth," she said.

After the glucose goes in, the caramel is heated for about 20 minutes but it has to be whisked and agitated constantly. Once the boil is steady, melted butter is added and it's heated and whisked some more.

It's poured out into square molds and it's refrigerated overnight. The next day the caramels are cut into small pieces and wrapped individually by hand.

There are plenty of other gift ideas here for the sugar lover in your life from assorted malted milk balls to chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds to hard-to-find imported European chocolates.

"They can come in here, get their favorite bag of candy and out the door they go," Hansen said.

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