June is national candy month. In my book, candy is anything sweet and delicious; chocolates, cookies, cakes, pies.

When I was a little kid and did something good, I was rewarded with a slice of homemade bread and sweet raspberry jam.  When I got hurt, I was handed a cookie to soothe me. If I was bad and behaving poorly, it was "No dessert for you!" Growing up this way has turned me into an adult that views eating certain foods, particularly sweets, as a reward system. I think in terms of "I did a great job at work today, I deserve some candy" or "I didn't go to the gym, no sugar for me".

Advancements in natural sugar substitutes and healthy sweetening options mean those sweet treats I crave don't have to turn into extra pounds or guilty feelings.

The quinoa cookies at Corina Bakery (602 South Fawcett, Tacoma) are dubbed "bird seed cookies" for their appearance, but taste far from that. Subtly sweet with a nice nuttiness, the cookies have a wonderful crunchy texture and are truly a healthy snack that just pretends to be a sugared cookie. I tried making these at home and though the taste was fairly close, mine were not nearly as pretty and didn't hold together very well. I'm sure I skimped on the flax or granola and probably added too much brown sugar.

Speaking of home-baked, University Place resident Melinda Huish has been baking for decades. Cookbooks hold her recipes; the taste of her desserts, cookies and breads is legend in certain circles. Her secret is to use quality ingredients, follow the recipe exactly and exercise patience. "You can't rush a recipe, if it says let the dough rise for an hour that's what you need to do."

Her advice and recipes have made my own baked products the recipient of thankful smiles and murmurs of approval.

More handmade items can be found at Johnson's Candy Company (924 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma). Vanilla ice cream bars are on the large size. Dipped in dark chocolate or milk chocolate and then rolled in crushed almond is the way to go. Fun, summery fruit slices in watermelon, lemon, orange, raspberry and lime are made from gelatin and are more fruity than sugary sweet. Fudges, caramel nut logs, peanut brittle and other winter holiday treats are now offered year-round.

Though they don't handle warm weather well, hand-dipped truffles at Affairs Chocolate and Desserts in University Place (2811 Bridgeport Way West) provide a definite fix for chocolate cravings. With summer almost upon us, my need for fruit and summery foods increases. Grand Marnier truffles have a nice orange flavor paired dark chocolate. Affairs also offers from-scratch pies, cheesecakes and traditional cakes.

Want to get up close and personal and see how decadent candies and sweets are made? Aunt Kate's Chocolates in historic Tenino (296 Sussex Ave West) offers tours of the facilities and a chocolate tasting. Sold by the ounce, Aunt Kate has triple layer peanut butter fudge, rocky road fudge, coconut clusters, sugar free chocolates, raspberry chocolate truffles, seashell shaped chocolates and more. Those wanting a salty sweet fix will swoon over crunchy chocolate dipped potato chips and w3hite chocolate caramels with Hawaiian black lava sea salt. For Father's Day, Aunt Kate is offering a chocolate tasting and fondue for two experience.

Taking the salty sweet fixation to a whole new level is Kris Blondin's compost cookie. Wacky name, great flavors all in one tasty package; Blondin combines chocolate, pretzels, peanut butter, potato chips, bacon pieces and more in this cookie at STINK (628 St Helens Ave), her downtown Tacoma cheese and meat deli that doubles as a café with beer and wine. Part midday snack and part sugar fix, the compost cookie seriously satisfies and has much less guilt associated with it than other cookie options.