No-Bake “Caramel Apple Delight” Is the Dreamy Dessert I’m Bringing to Everything All Fall (It’s That Good)

Every August there comes a point when I’m simply over it — over the hot, muggy weather, over the bugs, and over the sweat. As someone who’s only ever lived on the East Coast, I relish the change of seasons (I’m a spring and fall gal myself). It always brings excitement to the air, knowing that something really good is just around the corner. Since I’ve already started talking to my kids about what they want to be for Halloween (there I said it!), it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’ve also started bookmarking cozy fall recipes. I tend to ever-so-lightly lean into those flavors, serving up faves like this decadent Caramel Apple Delight from our food editor, Patty. It’s a dreamy no-bake dessert that tastes just like fall. With juicy apples, sweet caramel, chopped toffee, and pecans, I can never get enough. 

Patty kicks her delicious dessert off with a sturdy graham cracker crust. She calls for blitzing graham crackers in a food processor with sugar, salt, and melted butter. Just pat that into a parchment-lined 8×8 baking pan and store in the fridge while you make the filling. The next step involves making a large batch of whipped cream, and then folding some of it to a fluffy cream cheese mixture. Now the fun part begins: Dollop the cream cheese mixture on top of the chilled crust, then crack open a can of apple pie filling and take some kitchen shears to it to “chop” them while they’re still in the can. Spoon the apple filing over the top followed by the remaining whipped cream. Once it’s set, top it off with chopped pecans and toffee and a drizzle of caramel sauce. 

The result is five flavorful layers of spiced apples, cream cheese, fluffy whipped cream, and sweet caramel. It’s well balanced, not too sweet, and most importantly, not overly rich, which makes polishing off an entire slice almost too easy. The best part: It delivers those fall flavors you love without requiring you to turn on the oven. This way you can stay cool even in the dead of August, while indulging in this no-bake dessert as you start to channel sweater weather and PSL vibes.

Get the recipe: Caramel Apple Delight