Affy Taple - Caramel Apples

Hi,

When I was kid, my Dad would occasionally swing by the Affy Taple shop on Clark to buy seconds on their Caramel Apples. This was a great situation, sometimes too much Caramel, broken sticks, hardly the stuff to discourage you from buying.

What I especially liked was if the apple had started to lightly ferment. There was a different taste, slightly sharp, which worked well with the caramel. My favored was the caramel only, because peanuts in sweets are not my favorite.

I hadn't thought about this place in years and thought maybe they had gone out of business. I am happy to report they have moved up to Niles, their factory store is located at:

AFFY Tapple Inc
7425 North Croname
Niles, IL
http://www.affytapple.com
847-588-2900 (instructions to shop are on menu)
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 AM - 5 PM, Sat: 9 AM - 3 PM, Sun: Closed

Yeah, I guess they had to move after the City shut them down a couple years ago due to the (reportedly) rampant rat problem in the Clark Street factory. I hope they're keeping the Niles location cleaner than the old place.

The shop in niles is also a Kaufman's Bagels outlet, fyi. Day-old bagels aren't teriffic, but there were coffee cakes and bagel chips and whatnot too.

When I was there about a year ago, they had "Caramel Cups" which were cupcake papers (like wrap the Affy Tapples) filled with caramel and chopped nuts. I'm guessing it's runoff from the dipping process. Whatever, it's decadent.

Years ago at the Clark location, the Caramel Cups used to be called "Hockey Pucks" (an apt description of their size and shape).
They really were fantastic.