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I KNOW, RIGHT??? A Butterfinger Apple Salad. It’s a salad that uses butterfingers.
All is right with the world, my friends. See, I knew I liked salad!
A few years ago on the 4th of July we went to a block party. A neighbor brought Strawberry Pretzel Salad. My first thought was YUCK. Strawberries and pretzels? WITH LETTUCE? No thank you.
Then I looked at it.
It was a pretzel crust, with a cool whip cream cheese filling, topped with strawberries. And she called it a salad. And I wondered when Ashton Kutcher was going to jump out and tell me I was being Punk’d.
Because no way was that a salad. A salad was green. With dressing. And it was most definitely not dessert. But then I changed my tune. Sure, let’s call it a salad.
Yes mom, I ate my salad with pretzel crust and jell-o and Cool Whip. Yes I did!
Anyway, I thought it was weird but the dessert lover in me was fine with it. And then I started blogging. And then Nikki posted Snickers Caramel Apple Salad. And then Ashton started posting things called “Fluff” that were side dishes to holiday meals.
And then? THEN I went to Safeway (a grocery store, for those of you not from California) and in the deli section they are selling Snickers Caramel Apple Salad by the pound.
I mean, if the grocery store is embracing this as a salad, I’d better get on board.
And then I realized how well peanut butter goes with apples. And how much I love Butterfingers. And then I created this.
Butterfinger Apple Salad.
#yourewelcome
I’m guessing that these sorts of “salads” using jell-o or Cool Whip or Fluff are a midwestern and/or southern thing. The creamiest thing at our potlucks here in California are potato salad and I won’t go within a hundred yards of that. This? This I can get behind.
Besides, it’s really good. I mean, what’s not to love?
Peanut Butter.
Cool Whip.
Vanilla Pudding.
Butterfingers.
Granny Smith Apples.
This is no-bake and comes together in less than 10 minutes. Really – it’s a no brainer and it’s so, so good. All these flavors go so well together, it’s amazing someone hasn’t already done it.
{And, BTW, I’m sure someone has. I’m just deluding myself into thinking I’m the first.}
So if salad that includes apples and all sorts of sugary sweet things is not what you think of as a salad, change your mind.
Next time I go to a potluck, I’m heaping my plate with this and telling my trainer all I ate was salad.
And I won’t be lying.
*drooling*
Butterfinger Apple Salad
Ingredients
- 1 box 3.4 ounces Instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 container 8 ounces Cool Whip (I used fat free)
- 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 Video
Apple Toffee Cheesecake Pudding Cookies
Peanut Butter Caramel Apple Dip
Sweets from friends:
Cherry Cheesecake Fluff by Something Swanky
Snickers Caramel Apple Salad by Chef in Training
Strawberry Pretzel Salad by Inspired by Charm
Last Updated on May 13, 2020
This is my kind of “salad.” My aunt used to make a similar salad with crushed up cookies.
Butterfingers? Check! Pudding and cool whip? Check! Apples (for that health factor)? Check! This is definitely my kind of salad!!! 😉
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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