These 8 Candy and Chocolate Shops in Massachusetts Will Make Your Sweet Tooth Explode

If you have a sweet tooth (or eight sweet teeth), you know the sugar lust that comes with stepping into an amazing candy shop. We've assembled a guide to some of the best chocolate and candy companies in Massachusetts so you can indulge with discernment. Here they are:

1. Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie, Salem

Don't let the painfully quaint name put you off: the Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie is actually an incredibly old sweet shop. This place produced America's first commercially available candies over 200 years ago. And the story behind their signature confections, Salem Gibraltars, is almost unbelievable. In 1806, an English woman named Ms. Spencer and her son were shipwrecked just off the coast of Salem. Using a barrel of sugar donated by her sympathetic new neighbors, Ms. Spencer tried getting by through candy-making. And it worked. Her melty and delicious Gibraltars are still around and on sale today. Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie in Salem is one of the oldest and best of all Massachusetts candy companies.

2. Phillips Chocolates, Boston

At over 90 years old, Phillips Chocolates is Boston's oldest chocolatier. Four generations of the family have cared for this candy shop and the tradition is holding strong. They artfully blend premium fresh ingredients in small batches using original recipes and methods. Rumor has it that Oprah herself is a huge fan of their chocolate turtles! Check out their "build-your-own" 1lb fudge box and their maple half-dips. Phillips Chocolates is one of the best chocolate shops in MA.

3. Kandy Korner, Hyannis

This place is an old-fashioned candy, chocolate, and gift extravaganza. Watch gigantic blobs of taffy being hand-pulled by artisans (they do this right against the front display windows so you don't even have to go inside to catch the show) and fill a paper bag with penny and nickel candy. Grab a bag of freshly popped popcorn, a giant bag of cotton candy, or take home a big box of homemade fudge. They have a huge selection of local favorites like cranberry bog frogs and homemade beach plum jams, as well as vintage and hard-to-find candies older patrons might remember from their childhood. Of course, modern brand favorites are there as well. Visit the official website for the Kandy Korner in Hyannis to learn more.

4. Hebert Candies & Gifts, Shrewsbury

If I had to pick one nostalgic place from my childhood, it would be Hebert's Candy Mansion in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. My mom would often bring my sister and I here around Easter when we were kids. We would marvel at the chocolate bunnies, their housemade jelly beans, and all of the other treats. Some years, we would even grab ice cream from here!

The candy mansion is a Tudor-style estate built in 1912 by a Mr. Edward Hill from Providence, Rhode Island, and it was eventually purchased by Frederick Hebert, a candymaker, in 1946. Its candy-making legacy began well before Hebert built the mansion in 1917 when he purchased a copper kettle, a slab of marble, and other supplies and started making chocolates and caramels to sell. His chocolates became so popular he decided to expand, and that's what propelled his decision to purchase the mansion years after he began making candy. To this day, Hebert's Candy Mansion remains a popular roadside stop for confections.

5. Pop's Biscotti & Chocolates - Moved from Wilbraham, MA to Ludlow, VT

Here's a wonderfully sweet option that moved from Western Mass over the border to Ludlow, Vermont. So, if you've been visiting Pop's for years, you'll now have to take a road trip to get there. But that's okay—we all like road trips, right? Pop's offers an amazing selection of hand-crafted chocolates and candies like peanut butter pyramids and ancho chile chocolates. And obviously, their biscotti are mouth-watering. It's one of the most charming candy companies in New England. Visit the Pop's Biscotti & Chocolates Facebook page for more information.

6. Chatham Candy Manor, Chatham moved to vermont

The Chatham Candy Manor was founded in 1955 by Naomi Louise Turner. Today, this place is a local sugar institution. Expect homemade goodies made with lots of local flavors and love. Sample their rainbow of candy fruit slices or a hunk of their rocky road fudge. It's one of the best chocolate shops on Cape Cod. Visit the official website of the Chatham Candy Manor to learn more.

7. Harbor Sweets, Salem

All-natural and allergen-sensitive candy ahoy! Harbor Sweets offers a large selection of gluten-free, sugar-free, and seasonal chocolates and candies that seriously do not disappoint. Definitely pick up a box of their salted butter crunch chocolates (my mouth is tingling just writing that) and add a bag of their gluten-free peanut butter sea biscuits and chai truffles while you're at it. This is one of the best-known candy companies in Massachusetts, so if you're looking for "chocolate shops near me," you must come here! Visit the official website of Harbor Sweets to learn more.

8. Prides Crossing Confections, Prides Crossing

This is a great old-fashioned candy shop. Don't miss their almond butter crunch or delicately iced chocolate confections. Every offer is crafted to the demanding standards of grandmothers who won't settle for less than the best for their grandkids' Easter baskets. Find out why this is one of the favorite chocolate shops in the state. Visit the Prides Crossing Confections website to learn more.

I think my blood sugar is spiking just by looking at all those delectable goodies. What are your favorite chocolate and candy companies in Massachusetts for a sweet treat? Tell us all about it by filling out a nomination form!

If you have an insatiable sweet tooth, how about taking a tour to try to satisfy it? Book your spot on the Boston Delicious Donut Adventure by Underground Donut Tour which will take you on a walk to several artisan donut shops around the city.