Shopping For a Sweet Treat

From corn dogs and snow cones to funnel cakes and fresh lemonade, the Alameda County Fair is your one-stop spot for tasty treats.

De Brito Chocolate Factory is no exception. It's one of the shopping halls with an item that keeps people coming back year after year. The treat is well known — the factory in which they are made was featured recently on the Food Network.

Alene De Brito is the mastermind behind the dozens of kinds of caramel apples at the fair.

"We just can't make them fast enough," she said.

The factory is in Hollister. For the past 10 years, De Brito has been a staple at the fair, selling chocolate candies and caramel apples. But these caramel apples are anything but ordinary.

Take the peanut butter crunch caramel, for example. It has caramel, marshmallows and pretzels smothered in peanut butter and drenched in chocolate.

The gold rush option includes caramel with chopped apricots and almonds drizzled in chocolate.

The snicker wrapple has caramel, Snickers and milk chocolate. 

The earthquake apple is covered in caramel, Rice Krispies, peanut butter and chocolate.

And, after an earthquake, what about the aftershock? This decadent dessert includes caramel, caramel corn, roasted and salted almonds, cashews and peanuts drizzled in chocolate.

If these apples seem like they'll satisfy your sweet treat, don't wait. De Brito said her booth often sells out before the fair ends. 

"We have a lot of very dedicated people who come year after year." 

The caramel apples sell for $10 or 3 for $25. Some varieties sell for $8 or 2 for $15.

For more information about De Brito Chocolate Factory, click here.