Caramel Apples At Dan's Candies: Joliet Tradition Returns

JOLIET, IL — How do you know that caramel apple season has arrived at Dan's Homemade Candies? The answer is simple. It's the sound of the tires squealing on Plainfield Road. On Monday morning, business manager Karen Nolan put up the sign alerting Joliet motorists to "caramel apples."

"As soon as you put the sign up, you hear tires squealing," Nolan said with a serious look on her face.

A shipment of 55 bushels arrived Monday at Dan's.

Last year, Dan's didn't receive its apples from the orchard in Michigan until after Labor Day. During Monday's lunch hour, there was a steady line of customers entering Dan's to purchase their caramel apples.

Nolan said it's hard to say what variety of caramel apple is the most popular because "every day is different."

"We are hoping to have a good supply all season," she added.

The ones sold at Dan's are Jonathan apples, Nolan said.

Besides the store on Plainfield Road, Dan's also sells caramel apples at its store in Mokena. Its store in downtown Joliet on East Cass Street will open after Labor Day, Nolan said.

Last year, Nolan said her Plainfield Road store sold between 55,000 and 65,000 caramel apples. "It's a seasonal favorite," she said.

When asked if her store would exceed last year's seasonal caramel apples sales, she responded, "I hope so. It just depends on how the economy is going."

To read last year's Joliet Patch coverage of Dan's Homemade Candies, go here.