For Erin Naso, the kitchen at Brandt’s Candies is synonymous with childhood.
She remembers sampling bits of freshly made marshmallow and sneaking a taste of chocolate from the metal melting vats. But her favorite treats were the peppermint patties or creams, which Naso called Aggie um-ums – after her great-aunt, who owned the store.
“I knew the cherry cordials that they made, which were legendary,” Naso said of her great-aunt Agnes Brandt and great-uncle George Brandt, who opened the business in 1948. “As were the bourbon cherries – if you were a customer who knew to ask for that.”…