If candy bars in a dessert salad are wrong, who really cares about being right, anyway. This Snicker Apple Salad is the ultimate potluck sweet treat recipe and it’s hitting all the marks: Sweet, tangy, chewy, crisp, and absolutely delicious!
It features Snickers candy bars chopped into bite-sized bits, along with sweet and tart Granny Smith Apples that come coated in a fluffy vanilla-cream cheese sauce whipped to creamy, dreamy perfection. Finish it off with a drizzle of salted caramel and watch the crowd go wild!
Not only is this dessert salad a total crowd-pleaser, but it also comes together in less than 20 minutes and can be made in advance!
It’s perfect for BBQs, potluck parties, and summer entertaining! Love apple desserts? Bookmark this easy Caramel Apple Dip topped off with chopped Heath Bars!
THE BEST SNICKER APPLE SALAD
If you’re going to make a superior rendition of Snicker Apple Salad, you’re going to have to kiss the instant pudding and the Cool Whip goodbye. Instead, make a better, tastier version of this potluck favorite by enlisting cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy whipping cream!
These three simple ingredients come together to create a masterpiece of a dessert sauce that’s all things sweet, tangy, and addictively delicious.
This light and fluffy vanilla-cream cheese sauce comes together in just 10 minutes. Once it comes together, you’ll add Granny Smith Apples and Snickers candy bars chopped into tempting bite-sized bits and you’ve officially got a dessert no amount of will power can deny.
HOW TO MAKE SNICKER APPLE SALAD
- Whip – Whip the cream until stiff peaks form (more on that below).
- Make the Sauce – In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until softened and add the sweetened condensed milk. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
- Add Apples and Snickers – Add diced apples and Snickers and stir until evenly coated.
- Chill – Transfer to the refrigerator and chill until very cold.
WHAT ARE STIFF PEAKS?
Any time you are whipping heavy cream (or egg whites) there are different levels of “peaks” you can achieve. These peaks refer to the structure of the cream. Soft peaks essentially have no structure to them at all. Medium peaks hold their shape when the beaters are lifted out of the bowl, but the tip (or the peak) will slump over slightly.
Stiff peaks, on the other hand, stand up straight, with no movement whatsoever when the beater are lifted toward the ceiling. You are looking for stiff peaks for this recipe.
Whipping the cream to stiff peaks will ensure the vanilla-cream cheese sauce for your Snicker Apple Salad stays nice and thick.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE IT
- Snickers Candy Bars
- Granny Smith Apples
- Cream Cheese
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
SNICKERS CANDY BARS
Caramel, peanut butter nougat, and chocolate make Snickers candy bars a delicious pairing with apples, which is essentially the reasoning behind Snicker Apple Salad. The two are a delicious match made in heaven!
However, when it comes to salads with candy bars inside, there are clearly no rules. If you have a peanut allergy or are looking to shake things up, feel free to sub in something another candy bar…as long as it has some “body” to it.
You could use any of the following candy bars:
- 3 Musketeers
- 100 Grand
- Baby Ruth
- Mars Bar
- Milky Way
- Oh Henry!
- Take 5
- Twix
- Zero Bar
GRANNY SMITH APPLES
Granny Smith apples are perfect in this dessert salad thanks to their cool, crisp, and tart nature. The acidity brings a nice balance to the bowl in combination with the sugary Snickers and the sweet and that tangy vanilla-cream cheese sauce.
If you’d like to add another pop of color in your Snicker Apple Salad, feel free to swap out a few green Granny Smiths for a red apple. Just make sure it’s a crisp, tart variety such as Honeycrisp, Jazz, or Pink Lady.
THE VANILLA-CREAM CHEESE SAUCE
This Vanilla-Cream Cheese Sauce takes Snicker Apple Salad to the next level, and its flavor is exponentially better than a packet of pudding and bucket of Cool Whip combined…and almost just as easy too.
To make it, you’ll need cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy whipping cream.
CREAM CHEESE
The cream cheese helps to thicken up the sauce and adds some much-needed tanginess to an otherwise seriously sweet mix of flavors.
Note, it is very important that your cream cheese is at room temperature (or has been slightly softened) before you begin incorporating other ingredients into it. If it is cold, the ingredients will not mix well and you’ll end up with a lumpy sauce. No, thank you.
SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK
In addition to the cream cheese, you’ll also want to have sweetened condensed milk on hand (not to be confused with evaporated milk). Sweetened condensed milk has a flavor much like vanilla pudding and is absolutely perfect for adding sweet, creamy, and seriously yummy vibes to any sauce.
WHIPPING CREAM
Last, but not least, the cream. Standard heavy whipping cream does the trick! As mentioned above, the whipped cream adds a little body and a lot of air to the vanilla-cream cheese sauce, making it nice and fluffy, and the ideal texture for coating your Snicker Apple Salad!
7 MORE CANDY-FILLED DESSERTS YOU’LL LOVE
- Chewy M&M Cookies with M&M’s
- Halloween Blondies with Butterfinger
- Kit Kat Cake with Kit Kats and M&M’s
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake with Reeces Pieces
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie with Reeces Peanut Butter Cups
- Chocolate Peppermint Cookies with Crushed Peppermint Candies
The best Snicker Apple Salad featuring sweet, chocolatey Snickers bars, tart Granny Smith apples, a whipped, vanilla cream cheese sauce, and a drizzle of salted caramel!
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
- Generous pinch fine sea salt
- 5 Snickers candy bars (standard-sized), halved lengthwise and cut into a small 1/2" dice
- 4 Granny Smith apples cored and cut into a small 1/2" dice
- 2-3 tablespoons store-bought salted caramel (optional)
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Add the whipped cream to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Using a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, whip until stiff peaks form. Start on low speed and slowly increase to high, to avoid any messes! Set aside.
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Add the room temperature cream cheese to a room to a large mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the sweetened condensed milk and the salt to the bowl and mix until smooth.
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Fold in the whipped cream in 2-3 additions. Once fully incorporated and smooth, gently stir in the diced Snickers and apples.
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Refrigerate until fully chilled, 1-2 hours. Drizzle with salted caramel before serving, if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Video
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