Cream Cheese Caramel Apple dip is super quick, easy and delightfully tasty! Using a unique combination of ingredients that are accessible at your local shop this is a fun and different recipe. Serve this caramel cream cheese dip with crackers or sliced apple for a delightfully enjoyable textural experience.
Recipes like my Cream Cheese Pepper Jelly, Corn Relish Dip and Cream Cheese Onion Dip give us fuss free on a dip plate!
My Cream Cheese Jalapeno Dip and Blue Cheese Yogurt Dip both use yogurt as opposed to sour cream to get a thick creamy dip texture.
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🤍 Recipe Highlights
Everything that you will come to know and love about this recipe is shown in the highlights below:
- Quick and easy: I can't say that enough about this recipe. It takes less than 5 minutes to bring it together from the start till dip ready stage. There is no hard work involved and you can breath easy knowing you have a recipe up your sleeve that won't take hours to prepare!
- Sweet not savory: it is nice to have a dip that is focused on the combination of sweet ingredients paired together for delight. As the majority of dips are savory, it is slightly unusual to find a sweet dip or a dip that could be dessert or an appetizer and tick both boxes at the same time.
- Fruit dip: as rare as it is to see a dessert which is sweet as I was saying above, it is also somewhat unusual or different to use fruit in a dip! The chopped apples bring sweetness without artificial sugar and have a chunky texture that compliments the smoothness of the cheese to perfection!
- Fall flavours: as the transition from summer to winter occurs, we want to put away the watermelon and bring out the pumpkin, cinnamon and apples! I have been intentional about giving you a flavour combination that matches well with what's happening outdoors and yet works all round if you want it to.
- Effortlessly impressive: I find the contrast of the white from the cheese. Tan from the caramel sauce and red and green from the apples pretty and interesting to look at. Whilst we tick that box, the recipe is dead easy. It literally is one of the easiest things you could ever make. But it doesn't look unsophisticated easy like peanut butter and jelly on white bread, it looks like 'oh how pretty' says your friend when she sees it kind of easy (like you went to an effort, but also kept your kitchen clean at the same time kind of smart easy, woot!).
Ingredients
The photo below is to show you all of the ingredients needed to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific measurements.
As you can see, the recipe calls for:
- Cream cheese: super easy to get at any local store from Walmart to Teso, Aldi, Woolies, Coles and the IGA. The most noticeable difference will be the size, ie some brands are 225 grams and some 250 grams. The noticeable visual effect of that is minimal, so don't loose sleep over it if you usually shop at Aldi where they have a 250 gram block for the same price or cheaper than a smaller but same price block at the biggest supermarket as you just ducked in to get 1 or 2 things and that was easiest at the time.
- Caramel sauce: no need for premium brands and spending more money on this than you need to. Working perfectly as an ice cream topping but also delightfully well as a topping for this dip, we need only a little bit to deliver maximum yum to the recipe!
- Apples: I use a combination of red and green as I like the colours of both being present in the dip, one or the other is fine to use if you don't want to purchase 2 apples though. We want to chop them into small, but chunky pieces to get us the texture that contrasts with the caramel sauce and cream cheese.
- Cinnamon sugar: this is a product that you can purchase as such 'cinnamon sugar' at the shops. I however, make my own by combining white sugar and cinnamon powder. It only takes 2 seconds to do and as I don't use 'cinnamon sugar' as often as I separately use 'sugar' and 'cinnamon', I don't like having it in the pantry in case I then have to throw it out as I haven't used it. So add the 2 to a small bowl, give it a stir and you have yourself some 'cinnamon sugar' my friend!!
- Crackers: each to their own with this ingredient. You can use round crackers, square crackers, healthy seed crackers or other that is your favourite.
Top Tip: this dip is for 'spreading'. It won't work so much as a dip for a cracker to be dipped into as the firmness of the cream cheese would mean it breaks apart. So grab a small cheese knife or a butter knife and provide that when serving as this will allow people to 'cut into' the dip, spread it onto their cracker and then taste the serious yum that follows!
Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions needed to make the recipe. Start by taking the block of cream cheese out of the fridge, opening and discarding the packaging and placing the cheese onto your serving platter.
- Place cream cheese on serving board (Photo 1)
- Top with caramel sauce (Photo 2)
- Add chopped apple pieces (Photo 3)
- Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top (Photo 4)
How to Make Cream Cheese Caramel Apple Dip
To make the dip, start by selecting a serving platter for it. A flat one is perfect or a plate with a low edge. A bowl is not my preference when making this as the sides of the bowl make it too hard to get in and get to the dip.
Once the cream cheese has been removed from the fridge and the packaging discarded, plate it then get ready to top it.
Start with the caramel sauce and pour it over the top, not too hastily as we don't want to drench it, moreso cover the top and let some naturally flow down the sides.
Then you want to place the chopped pieces of apply on top of the caramel sauce. If some slide off, that is no worries, but try and keep most on top to start with for your presentation.
Next grab the cinnamon sugar, pinch it in thumb and pointer finger and sprinkle it over the top of the apple pieces.
Once you have done these steps, it is time to get your crackers and place them around the sides of the dip.
Spread them slightly away, so that if the caramel sauce spreads, they won't get sticky and affected by the liquid.
Provide a cheese knife as the trick for this dip is to cut it and 'spread' it onto the cracker as opposed to dunking your cracker into the block of cheese (this results in a broker cracker (oh no!) and no dip topped on the unbroken bit).
Serving Suggestions
Crackers are my preference over chips for this recipe as I think they pair well with a sweeter combination of flavours. I also think a small cheese knife is essential to being able to portion and consume the dip. A butter knife will also work if you don't have a cheese knife and don't want to purchase one if you don't think you will use it very much.
In my substitutions and variations section below, I share the idea of using some sliced apple for a 'cracker' instead of using actual crackers. Some readers will want to try this and some will prefer a cracker.
I get it.
What I like the most about the cracker combo which I have tried to capture and show you in the photo below is that you get texture. The cracker is firm, the cheese is soft, the caramel sauce is all gooey and yum, the apples are crispy and the cinnamon sugar grainy and sweet. If spreading onto a slice of apple, you will have to make sure that the apple slices are thick enough to hold the dip. You will get crunch but its a different kindof crunch from crackers.
👍 How to Guide
This is a no bake dip that is not suitable to freeze. You can however, refrigerate any leftovers on a plate, with cling film over the top if you wish. Keep the crackers separate to the dip as being too close to the sauce means they would go soggy. Also, try and consume leftovers later that day or the next, it is not a recipe that stays fresh in the fridge for days and days!
😉 Substitutions and Variations
This is one of my favourite sections to write in my post as I think of you and know that you and I are on the same page, but might still have some slightly different tastes, so here goes:
- For ultra indulgence, spray a little tinned whipped cream on top of the caramel sauce.
- If you want to slice some apple thinly and use that as the 'crackers' go for it! This is a healthier twist on the recipe.
- Crush up some chewy caramel pieces (candy) and sprinkle them on top.
- Or use toffee pieces (also roughly chopped or crushed up into pieces).
🛎 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks so that you can get this dip right from the get go:
- Combine the white sugar and cinnamon separately in a small bowl and whisk together as opposed to sprinkling one than the other on top.
- Granny smith apples bring a beautiful shade of green to the recipe and are perfect to chop and use on their own or pair with a bright red apple.
- There is no need to beat the cream cheese so that it is 'soft' and 'spreadable', see my point below about why this is.
- As I suggest providing a serving knife, don't worry about getting the cream cheese out of the fridge super early like you would for some recipes so that it softens. By the time you have pulled everything together and with the use of the knife, it will have reached the point of perfect spreadable - ness.
- Apple slices instead of crackers are a great option as I mentioned in my substitutions and variations, however, why not provide both so that your eaters can choose and experience the taste of the dip on each a cracker and an apple slice.
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
What goes with caramel dip?
Cream cheese is a great foundation for caramel dip and apples are a great pairing for a topping or serving idea. Crunchy toffee pieces add a delightful texture to the dip and the cinnamon sugar adds a sweet flavour that caps off the sensation of the caramel sauce dissolving in your mouth.
What apples are best for dipping in caramel?
There is a wide variety of apples that are great to dip in caramel and you can't really go wrong with which you choose.
Some popular choices are: Royal Gala, Granny Smith, Jonathan, Fuji, Golden Delicious and Honey Crisp.
How long does caramel apple dip last in the fridge?
The dip will last that day and the next day in the fridge. I do not recommend keeping it any longer than that for caramel sauce can make the apple pieces soggy, loosing their crispness so the textural delight of the dip goes downhill the longer it is pulled together and not consumed.
😍 More Easy Dip Recipes
I think you might be like me and keep things simple when it comes to dips and spreads. So in that light, here are some more of my recipes in this space that I think you will love (love, love and 'get').
- Cranberry Jalapeno Dip
- Cream Cheese Spinach Dip
- Halloween Dip
- Chili Cream Cheese Dip
- Ham Dip
- Avocado Sweet Chilli Dip
- Corn Dip with Cream Cheese
- Kalamata Olive Dip
- Cottage Cheese Dip
- Cream Cheese Bacon Dip
If you want to feed a crowd my Grazing Platter will provide yum to everyone at the table!
Adrianne xx
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📖 Recipe
Cream Cheese Caramel Apple Dip
Equipment
- 1 Serving board
- 1 Teaspoon
Ingredients
- 250 grams / 8oz block cream cheese
- ¼ cup caramel sauce
- ½ red apple seeds discarded, chopped into chunky pieces
- ½ green apple seeds discarded, chopped into chunky pieces
- ½ tablespoon white sugar
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon powder
- crackers (or apple slices) to serve
Instructions
- Cream cheese: grab the cream cheese out of the fridge, tear open the box, cut and remove foil then plate cheese on serving board.
- Caramel sauce: use a teaspoon to help spoon the sauce of the top of the cream cheese and the back of the spoon to spread into a thick layer. Let it naturally flow down the sides if it does.
- Apples: spread the chunky apple pieces over the top of the sauce.
- Cinnamon sugar: sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top of the apple pieces.
- Crackers: spread crackers around the edge of the dip but not so close that an encounter with the sauce would leave them soggy.
- Serve: provide a cheese knife on the platter for serving. Pop any leftover ingredients in small bowls to the side of the dip so that as the dip gets consumed, they are there to be topped on the crackers as desired.
Lara says
Im all about dips got to try this on the next family night.
Adrianne says
Thanks Lara, hope you all love it!
Anita says
Loving how simple this dip looks.
Adrianne says
Thanks Anita!! I appreciate your feedback.