Candy Apple Dump Cake {Fall Recipe}

This candy apple dump cake is perfect for last-minute desserts that bake while you’re eating dinner or for potlucks with friends and family.

Candy Apple Dump Cake

One of my favorite fall pastimes to do before Halloween is apple picking with the family. Something about the cool crisp air, the delicious juicy apples right off the tree, and the smiles on my kids faces when they pick that first apple off.

But it doesn’t end at the orchard! Then you get to go home and bake yummy goodies with all the apples you managed not to eat on the drive back home.

When deciding what to bake with the apples we picked in Boston on our trip back a few years ago I knew I wanted to incorporate Halloween and the fun of the season. Since I had just recently stopped by Smart and Final for our Halloween candy stash I decided to incorporate the delicious Nestle goodies I picked up in this Candy Apple Dump Cake.

Candy Apple Dump Cake Nestle Candy

Once I got home it was time to start baking. Now, this candy apple dump cake is literally what the name alludes to. Chopped up candy, apples, cake, and butter all dumped into the pan, stirred up, and baked! So simple yet so delicious.

Since I purchased a few extra bags of candy to bake with I decided to chop up my favorite Nestle crunch bars and Nestle chocolate bars to add to the mix. The combo of the apples and chocolate reminded me of our favorite candy apples.

And the kids had a great time unwrapping the chocolate (one for you, one for me…).

Candy Apple Dump Cake ingredients

Candy Apple Dump Cake

  • 3 apples, 2 diced & 1 grated
  • 1 cup Nestle chocolate, diced (I used Nestle Crunch and Nestle chocolate bars)
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 package cake mix
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Add apples and chocolate to a 9×9 pan. Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice. Pour cake mix over apples. Drizzle melted butter over mixture.

Stir ingredients in the pan and smooth top.

Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until top is golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

Candy Apple Dump Cake baked

Add a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of melted Nestle Crunch bar for an added bonus!

How easy is that? Perfect for last-minute desserts that bake while you’re eating dinner or for potlucks with friends and family. And you can make this with just about any fruit! So depending on the season, pick out your favorite fruit and enjoy.

Candy Apple Dump Cake close up

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Deliciously Tempting Candy Apple Bars with M&M’s

 These deliciously tempting candy apple bars with M&M’s are the perfect sweet treat to use up all of those apples you picked this season!  

Candy Apple Bars with M&M's - the perfect way to welcome fall and enjoy a delicious dessert

Oh my gosh you guys. I’m seriously melting right now and wondering where the heck fall is. Over 100 degrees today and the forecast does not look good over the next week. Oh, how I yearn for the cool crisp 75-degree air of fall.

With pregnancy cravings that have me wanting apple pie, hearty stews, and other fall recipes I can’t help but give into temptation and bake up a delicious treat for the family even when it’s a sauna inside and outside of the house. Did I mention we have no a/c in the new house? Yeah…

After finding some delicious Candy Apple M&M’s on our most recent trip to Walmart I was inspired to make these delicious candy apple bars that are part apple pie, part candy apple. 

Candy Apple Bars with M&M's ingredients

I made sure to gather most of the ingredients we needed and have it all pre-measured because another crazy girl in the house wanted to help mama out even in this heat.

I’ve found that when cooking or baking with kids a little prep work goes a long way. And makes things go a little smoother. And this recipe couldn’t be easier to make with kids. No mixer needed, no special measuring or ingredients. Easy peasy!

Candy Apple Bars with M&M's mixing

We mixed together the oat mixture and reserved a bit for the topping. The rest we mixed with some delicious applesauce 

Once the applesauce oat mixture was ready I let my daughter spread it on the bottom of our 9×13 pan while I tossed the apples in some flour.

Candy Apple Bars with M&M's spreading applesauce oat mixture

Next was my daughter’s favorite part. After I put a layer of apples down she was in charge of adding the Candy Apple M&M’s on top of the apples. Now normally I use a layer of caramel here for caramel apple bars but we wanted some chocolatey candy goodness.

Candy Apple Bars with M&M's adding apples and M&M's

Once she was done I spread the reserved oat mixture over everything and had her help push it down gently. Then we baked up this scrumptious dessert and enjoyed a little kiddy pool fun to cool down.

By dinnertime, these were perfectly cooled and ready to enjoy for our dessert. Boy, was this a good treat to end our hot day. Now let’s bring on some cooler temperatures!

Candy Apple Bars with M&M's ready to bake

Candy Apple Bars with M&M's

For the candy apple bars

  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter (softened)
  • 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 3 peeled fuji apples (finely diced)
  • 1 granny smith apple (grated)
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cup Candy Apple M&M's

For the drizzle

  • 1 cup powdered sugar (sifted)
  • 3 tablespoons apple juice
  1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Mix brown sugar, butter and shortening in large bowl. Stir in 1 3/4 cups flour, the oats, salt and baking soda. Reserve 2 cups oat mixture. Mix remaining oat mixture with applesauce and spread on the bottom of an un-greased 13×9 pan.
  2. Toss apples and 3 tablespoons flour; spread over mixture in pan. Spread Candy Apple M&M’s evenly over apples. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture; press lightly.
  3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender.
  4. While bars are baking, mix together powdered sugar and apple juice and set aside. Once bars are done, let cool before drizzling with icing and enjoy!



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Candy Apple Bars with M&M's

What’s your favorite fall-inspired dish?

*This post was originally featured on September 14t, 2014. 

Apple Granola Muffins in Celebration of Snow White on DVD

Apple Granola Muffins for Snow White

Forever enchanting and inspiring, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs embodies The Walt Disney Signature Collection’s legacy of animation. In this epic story of love and friendship, the kind and beautiful princess Snow White wins the hearts of the Seven Dwarfs and triumphs over the evil plans of a wicked Queen.

For generations, audiences around the globe have been enchanted by the timeless tales brought to life by the artists of Walt Disney Animation Studios. Since the debut of the very first feature-length animated film in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the visionary studio has generated some of the most beloved films of all time through masterful artistry, epic storytelling, and groundbreaking technology.

 

From the extraordinary team behind the success of Snow White emerged a group of animators who would become legends – Disney’s Nine Old Men. These prolific artists, including Frank Thomas, Marc Davis and Ollie Johnston, were the heart and hands behind the magic of Bambi, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, The Jungle Book, Alice in Wonderland and so many more.

After more than 90 years, this rich legacy of innovation and creativity lives on with every animator who passes through the hallowed halls of Walt Disney Animation Studios.

In celebration of the one that started it all, seven Disney artists from different generations have come together to share a modern look at the seven iconic characters who shared the journey of the original Disney Princess.

Now to the recipe!

There are no poisoned apples here, just deliciously good apple muffins that are the perfect treat for breakfast or whenever.

Apple Granola Muffins with cinnamon

Apple Granola Muffins

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 2 apples, grated
  • 1 cup granola

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together dry ingredients in a large mixer. Add wet ingredients to dry and continue mixing until well combined. 

Using a rubber spatula, fold in apples and granola.

Coat a muffin pan with non-stick spray. Scoop 1/4-1/2 cup of batter into each well of the pan.

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Enjoying Apple Granola Muffins for breakfast

What do you love to bake with apples?

Share the movie called “The Greatest Animated Film Of All Time,” (American Film Institute) on Blu-ray February 2nd and on Digital HD January 19th, with special features for the entire family!

Trying to get your own little dwarfs to do their chores? Start the week off with a fun Chore Chart that will help them Whistle While They Work!

Download Activities

Perfect for Fall: Spiked Apple Cider Drink Recipe with Spiced Rum

This post featuring a delicious Sweet’N Low inspired Spiked Apple Cider with Spiced Rum as part of a sponsored post for Socialstars #SweetNLowStars

Spiked Apple Cider With Spiced Rum Drink Recipe  #SweetNLowStars

Even though it is still very much summer temperature wise here in Southern California, September has always meant one thing for me… apple season! It’s the time all of the orchards up in Julian and the surrounding areas open up so that the public can come up and pick baskets of apples to take home with them and enjoy.

Last year we were lucky enough to take a trip back East to visit my husband’s brother and his wife in Boston. While we were there we were able to head out to an apple orchard and continue our apple picking tradition while on vacation. It was quite fun and just as delicious of an adventure as it is out here (only a little chillier). [Read more…]

Apple Cheddar Quick Bread

Apple Cheddar Quick Bread

I absolutely love a good, hearty bread with a bowl of soup when it’s cold outside. And this week it’s gotten pretty chilly! So when I stumbled upon this delicious Apple Cheddar Quick Bread recipe over at Simply Stacie I knew I needed to try it.

From it’s deliciously soft inside to the crunchy crust on the outside, this is the perfect comfort food to go alongside your favorite warm dish. And it’s so easy to throw together!

In true Danielle fashion, though, I did make a few changes to the recipe to tweak it a bit to our liking. Our version is below but I highly suggest checking out Stacie’s too! [Read more…]



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