Apple Dip (cream cheese & peanut butter)

At a glance

What stands out: Absolutely irresistible apple dip with cream cheese and peanut butter mimics the flavor of peanut-coated caramel apples. Apple dip is straightforward to mix and it’s always a hit at get-togethers. It makes a good lunchbox treat or after school snack, too!

How long it takes: 10 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl
Servings: makes 2 cups

Hide the Spoons

Fair warning: you may want to hide the spoons before serving this apple dip.

Because yes, it’s technically meant for apple slices…but once people taste it, the temptation to eat it straight from the bowl becomes real. It tastes like a deconstructed caramel apple: sweet caramel, creamy goodness, and crunchy peanuts. Apples just happen to be the socially acceptable way to eat it.

What makes it special:

• So straightforward to mix. You’ll need just a handful of ingredients to make apple dip. The hardest part is remembering to take the cream cheese out of the fridge an hour or so ahead of time to soften.
• Goes well with other dippers. We guess we should also mention that while apple dip is reliable for apple slices, it’s also great with graham crackers or animal crackers. Or a spoon. Did we mention that?
• Kid-friendly (and adult-friendly, too!). Set out a big platter of sliced apples and just watch those apples disappear when caramel apple dip is on hand. It makes a pretty special lunchbox treat, too. Grown-ups love this apple dip, too, as they sip an apple cider mule ( the fall version of a Moscow mule) or an apple cider mocktail (or cocktail, if you prefer).

Paul Said:

“We love this dip and the apple slices don’t last long enough to turn brown. Also good with Ritz Crackers.”

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What goes in

• Cream Cheese: The recipe card says reduced fat cream cheese and that’s to help you feel better about eating this dip. Full fat regular cream cheese is just fine, too, if you prefer that. Make sure you buy the cream cheese that comes in a block, not the whipped kind in a tub.
• Peanut Butter and Chopped Peanuts: Both creamy and crunchy peanut butter work well. Chopped peanuts add more peanut power to the dip.
• White Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar: Brown sugar gives this dip the caramel flavor; you can use light or dark. Make sure you firmly pack the brown sugar into the measuring cup.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Vanilla provides an undertone of sweet flavor.
• Sliced Apples: Look for apples that are crisp, with a sweet/tart flavor such as Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Gala, or Fuji. A variety of apples, both green and red, makes a nice presentation. Make sure the slices are thick/sturdy enough so they can hold lots of dip.

How To Soften Cream Cheese

Cream cheese will soften if it sits out at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Don’t have that much time? Try one of these methods:

• Place the sealed foil package in a bowl of warm water (not boiling but fairly hot) for ten to fifteen minutes. Flip it over once in awhile.
• Another method is to unwrap the cream cheese and place it on a microwave safe plate. Microwave at high power in 10 second bursts until it’s the desired consistency. Be careful that you don’t cook it.
• A third method (our favorite) is to cut the cold cream cheese in small pieces and set it in a warm place. It will soften quickly.

How it comes together

Mix ingredients. Once your cream cheese has softened, place it in a medium-sized bowl. Add the white sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla. Stir until the mixture is well-combined and smooth. We like to use our electric mixer. Mix the dip on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently.

Add nuts. Fold in the chopped nuts until they are distributed throughout the dip. You may want to set a couple tablespoons of nuts aside to use as a garnish.

Put the dip into a serving bowl or covered container if you’re not using it right away.

Serve. Arrange sliced apples around a bowl of apple dip, and dive in!

Straightforward Apple Slicing

This handy tool makes apple slicing a breeze. It cores and slices an apple into 8 sections with one speedy push. We use ours all the time!

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Ways to change it

• Try a flavor variation. A sprinkle of cinnamon on top (or mixed in) is good. Chocolate lovers can stir in mini chocolate chips. Make the dip with toffee bits instead of chopped peanuts. Try substituting maple extract for the vanilla.
• Substitute yogurt. If you’re not a fan of cream cheese, make this dip with yogurt instead. Substitute 1 cup plain Greek yogurt for the cream cheese. The texture of the dip will be slightly different and the dip will be more tangy.
• Make it peanut-free. Simply omit the peanut butter and chopped peanuts. The dip will be creamy and rich. Another option is to substitute sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter (SunButter). Stir in roasted sunflower seeds instead of chopped nuts.

Ways to serve it

For adults, you’ll find that the apples and sweet dip are a reliable balance with more savory offerings like bacon wrapped water chestnuts or wild mushroom crostini with goat cheese. Try candied bacon and sweet and spicy candied bourbon pecans, too. Take a look at all our appetizer recipes.

For kids, we like to make apple dip as part of this fun snack board. It goes well with cinnamon sugar pretzel bites or snickerdoodle cookies, too.

Make-Ahead Ideas

Apple dip can be made at least a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Apples can be sliced a day ahead, too. Store them in a resealable bag or airtight container.

How To Keep Apples From Browning

You may notice that the cut sides of apples tend to turn brown after a short time. This process is called oxidization and doesn’t affect the taste or the quality of the apples, but it can be unappetizing.
To prevent oxidization, one of the easiest tricks is to spritz the slices with lemon juice, making sure it coats all sides. Let the lemon juice sit on the apples for five minutes and then rinse it off with cool water.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate: Keep the apple dip in a tightly covered container. It can be refrigerated at least five days assuming it hasn’t sat out on the counter for hours.

To serve: Remove the apple dip from the refrigerator one hour ahead of time to allow it to soften a bit, and give it a good stir.

• Yield: 16
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Total: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 package (8 ounces) reduced fat cream cheese, softened (regular cream cheese is fine, too)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar (or dark brown sugar)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy (see note)
• ½ cup chopped peanuts (honey, dry roasted, plain, whatever!)
• sliced apples, for serving

Method

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese, granulated and brown sugars, vanilla and peanut butter until all ingredients are blended and smooth. An electric mixer can be used at medium speed, if desired.
2. Fold in chopped peanuts.
3. Refrigerate in a tightly covered container. Remove from refrigerator one hour before serving so dip can soften slightly.
4. Serve with sliced apples. If desired, toss apples with fresh lemon juice to prevent browning.

Notes

Peanut butter: You can use either creamy or crunchy. If you use a natural peanut butter, make sure it is well stirred before adding it to the apple dip. SunButter, a sunflower butter, works well, too.

Apple choices: Choose apples that are crisp and have a sweet/tart flavor such as Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Gala, or Fuji.

Alternative dippers: Apples aren’t the only dippers that go well with this dip. Try graham crackers, pretzels, animal crackers, and so on.

Peanut free option #1: Omit the peanut butter and chopped peanuts. Blend together cream cheese, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla.

Peanut free option #2: Substitute sunflower seed butter (SunButter) for the peanut butter. Stir in roasted sunflower seeds instead of peanuts.

Storage: Refrigerate the dip in a tightly covered container for up to five days. Take it out of the refrigerator one hour before serving so it will soften slightly. Stir well.