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A twist on a classic potluck dish: BUTTERFINGER Apple Salad. It’s a kid-approved salad with apples coated in a peanut butter pudding and topped with butterfingers for an extra crunch.
What is a dessert apple salad?
This easy apple salad recipe is a unique twist on the classic potluck recipe. It is drenched in a creamy peanut butter pudding and topped with crunchy butterfinger candy bars.
This is a no-bake dessert recipe and comes together in less than 10 minutes. Really – it’s a no brainer and it’s so, so good. All the flavors go so well together, it’s amazing someone hasn’t already done it.
I’m a huge fan of any desserts with butterfingers, but this one creamy apple salad is extra special. It’s never been done before making it a totally new recipe and it’s incredibly easy to put together. Can it be called a salad when it has pudding and candy? I’m leaning yes on that one!
Ingredients Needed
- Instant pudding mix: I’m using vanilla flavor to keep the flavors simple
- Milk: I’m using nonfat milk but you can use any fat content, as long as it’s cows milk. Nondairy milk doesn’t always work with pudding mix.
- Peanut butter: any creamy peanut butter you have works great as long as it isn’t natural (use a no-stir peanut butter).
- Cool Whip: I used fat free but regular works just as well
- Butterfingers: chopped or processed in a food processor
- Apples: I’m using granny smith apples. I left the skin on mine but you can remove it if you prefer.
How to make apple salad
- Whisk pudding mix and milk in a large bowl. Let it set up for about 5 minutes before whisking in the peanut butter.
- Fold the Cool Whip into the pudding mixture. Stir in the chopped Butterfingers and apples.
- Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Top with remaining Butterfinger crumbs before serving.
Expert Tips
- Try to get as many lumps out as possible when whisking in the ingredients
- To add an extra crunch to your apple salad, throw in some pecans or chopped peanuts
- You can use sugar free pudding mix and sugar free whipped topping if you want to lower the added sugar in the recipe.
FAQs
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, but it’s best eaten one day 1.
Yes. Grapes bring out the flavor from the apples making it an incredible combo.
Yes, you can!
Butterfinger Apple Salad
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 3.4 ounce box Instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 ½ cups (355ml) nonfat milk
- ¼ cup (67g) peanut butter
- 1 8 ounce container Cool Whip (any kind)
- 12 Fun Sized Butterfinger candy bars chopped or processed in a food processor (about 2 cups)
- 5-7 Granny Smith apples cored and diced (5 large or up to 7 small; I left the skins on mine)
Instructions
- Whisk pudding mix and milk in a large bowl. Let set up for about 5 minutes. Whisk in peanut butter (or you can use hand mixer). Try to get as many lumps out as possible.
- Fold the Cool Whip into the pudding mixture. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the chopped Butterfingers. Stir in the apples. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, but it’s best eaten one day 1. Top with remaining Butterfinger crumbs before serving.
Recipe Notes
- Try to get as many lumps out as possible when whisking in the ingredients
- To add an extra crunch to your apple salad, throw in some pecans or chopped peanuts
- You can use sugar free pudding mix and sugar free whipped topping if you want to lower the added sugar in the recipe.
- I love the tart and sweet mix of granny smith and the sweet pudding, but you can use any kind of apples.
Oh yum!! This looks fantastic! Such a fun twist on apple salad!
I never realized dessert-like salads were uncommon. It’s a thing here in Ohio! Watergate salad was a common side growing up (fruit cocktail + cool whip + pistachio pudding + marshmallows)! Although we call that strawberry salad you described strawberry pretzel dessert (delicious either way). Thanks for another great recipe … pinned!
Oooh, that one sounds good!! I’ll have to try it!
Safeway?? Safeway is selling Snickers Caramel Apple Salad?? Our Safeway must be really behind the times (or all of the college kids studying for finals stole it all as their late-night snacks last week) because I definitely didn’t see that during my last grocery store visit. I bet Jordan loved eating this “salad” too! 😉
This is my kind of salad…filled with butterfingers! Yummy! Thanks for the great recipe!! Pinned 🙂
Butterfinger + Apple =/= Salad.
You can’t add apple and pretend its healthy.
I know that Daniel. I’m not sure why it’s called a salad, but that’s what it’s called. It’s a dessert salad, and I was being sarcastic because if it’s called a salad I think of vegetables. Thanks for reading!
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