There are caramel apples, and then there are Apples of Eden’s softball-sized juicy Granny Smith apples, skillfully decorated with any sweet goodness imaginable—caramel; milk, dark or white chocolate; cashews; pecans; pistachios; jimmies; M&Ms and more.
“We would call them gourmet apples,” said Beth Parkansky, who owns Apples of Eden, on Broad Street in historic Downtown Greendale. She wants to be sure her gargantuan gooey-coated apples, hand-dipped and made in small batches by long-time Apples of Eden employees, are differentiated from those tiny caramel apples sold in most grocery stores.
In addition to apples coated in caramel, nuts and chocolate, specialty gourmet apple flavors include Cookies and Cream, made with crushed Oreos; seasonal varieties (the fall harvest brings caramel-coated apples with dried cranberries, blueberries and dark chocolate); The Dream, with ribbons of milk, white and dark chocolate; crunchy Heath bar; or S’mores, with chocolate and marshmallows.
The apples look almost too pretty to cut open (it’s difficult to actually bite through the thick shell of confectionary goodness). But once you cut off a slice and savor the caramel and chocolate balanced with the tart Granny Smith, it’s hard to stop. The apples are large enough to share—or not.
Parkansky purchased Apples of Eden in 2009 from Tony and Julie Quebbemann, who founded the store during the late 1990s. Parkansky is a real estate agent who began working at Apples of Eden part-time when her work slowed during the housing crash of 2008. When she heard the Quebbemanns were going to sell the business, she decided to go for it. (The Quebbemanns had a second location in Elm Grove for a few years, but they closed that store prior to Parkansky’s purchase of the business.)
Because the business was well known and loved in the community, Parkansky kept the existing staff and the same recipes, but she expanded the selection of chocolates and candy. She also added a small gift section. She invites area middle school students to volunteer at the store, and she runs a contest where students can create a recipe for an apple. The winning apple is served at a celebration for the kids and offered as the Apple of the Month. “One child came up with granola apple, with dark chocolate and peanut butter. It was so well received that we brought it back again this year,” Parkansky said.
Candy favorites include critters, a turtle-like candy made with honey roasted pecans; sponge candy, which they make year-round, even on humid days, in their climate-controlled kitchen; toffee; chocolate-covered caramels; and assorted meltaways. All candy is available in milk or dark chocolate. Easter brings whipped cream eggs, which Parkansky said they started making a couple of years ago. This year’s flavors are vanilla and raspberry. Apples of Eden also carries other items for the Easter basket, such as speckled malt eggs, pectin jellybeans and sour bunnies.
The nostalgic candy corner is a hit with adults and children, and people can enjoy blast-from-the-past goodies like satellite wafers, Turkish Taffy, marshmallow “ice cream” cones, candy buttons and Necco wafers. Customers can also purchase gift baskets and custom-order items like wedding and baby shower favors. Apples of Eden is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, with extended hours during certain holidays.
For more information and updates on holiday hours, visit facebook.com/applesofedengreendale. The company’s website is coming soon: applesofeden.com.
