This creative and unique apple snack is silly and fun. Kids will love the gummy worm and gobble down the healthy apple with peanut butter as an after-school snack, a bedtime snack, or anytime of the day. It's a new take on an old favorite.
Isn't this an awesome treat? I'd eat this delicious apple snack any day, and I'm not even a kid.
As soon as I saw this easy snack idea, I knew I'd make this fun food for Grace's bedtime snack.
The snack itself is really easy to put together, and it requires minimal ingredients.
The only downside?
When I handed it to 3-year-old Grace, she was – concerned. She didn't know what to think of it. She looked the snack all over, without touching the apple or the worm. I could tell by the look on her face that she was perplexed.
"Is that a silly snack, or what?" I asked, grinning. She looked at me, then back at the apple. "Can you believe I put a gummy worm in your apple? What else is in there?"
With that, she picked it up and opened the two halves, happily telling me that it was filled with peanut butter, marshmallows, and a gummy worm.
In the end, she ate the entire apple, the worm, the marshmallows, and the peanut butter inside.
That's a successful snack in my book.
What you'll need to make a wormy apple snack for kids
EQUIPMENT
- Apple corer - I love my apple corer, and I use it frequently. It's basically a long metal tube with a handle at the top, and it allows me to cut out the core of an apple or pear in one smooth motion. If you don't have an apple corer, you will have to cut out the core with a sharp knife.
- Sharp knife - This is to cut the apple in half.
- Thick straw - This is to cut a hole in the apple for the worm. You can use your sharp knife if you need to.
INGREDIENTS
See printable recipe card below for measurements and nutritional information.
- Apple - My favorite apples are Cosmic Crisp or Honeycrisp. They're sweet-tart and crisp which is a nice combination. But you can use fujis, galas, or whatever snacking apples you have.
- Marshmallow - If you leave part of the core in the apple, you can skip the marshmallow. Its only purpose is to keep the peanut butter from leaking out the top and bottom of the apple.
- Gummy worm - This is what makes the apple such a fun and unique snack, so don't leave it out.
- Peanut butter - You can use almond butter or really any nut butter here. I like peanut butter, but anything will work. Even Nutella would work, although that would increase the sugar content significantly.
- Spearmint leaf - This is optional but makes the finished apple look really cute.
How to make a wormy apple snack
- Wash your apple.
- Core the apple and slice it in half horizontally. If you're making the snack for older kids, you can leave part of the core in the apple, to prevent the peanut butter from leaking out the top and bottom and to make the apple look whole. But if you're making it for younger kids, you probably want to remove the entire core, including the skin.
- Cut a large marshmallow in half horizontally and stuff one half into the top and bottom of the apple. This will keep the peanut butter from oozing out, but is really optional.
- Use a heavy duty straw or a sharp knife to cut a small hole in the side of the apple. It needs to be big enough to insert a gummy worm.
- Poke the gummy worm into the hole you cut out, leaving just a bit to stick out of the apple.
- Fill the remaining center of the apple with peanut butter.
- Add a spearmint leaf to the top of the apple (if desired). It's cute, but if your kids don't like them, feel free to leave it out. Stick the two halves of the apple back together and serve.
Does this apple snack work for special diets?
My ingredients were all gluten-free and dairy-free, but I do not believe that they are vegan. If you have an allergy or severe intolerance, you should check the ingredients to ensure their safety for your diet.
More healthy snack ideas
If you like this fun snack, you're going to love these 29 fun fall snacks that kids can make for themselves.
Recipe
Wormy Apple - A Creative, Healthy, & Fun Afternoon Snack for Kids
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Thick straw
- Spoon
Ingredients
- 1 apple
- 1 marshmallow
- 1 gummi worm
- 1 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 spearmint leaf
Instructions
- Wash and core the apple. If you want to, you can leave a small bit of the core at the top and bottom of the apple, and that will make the finished apple look more authentic. If I was making this snack for a younger child, I would totally cut out the core, top and bottom.
- Cut the cored apple in half.
- Cut a large marshmallow in half across the long side. Stuff one half into each cored apple (to keep the peanut butter from coming out the top and bottom).
- Use a stiff, heavy duty straw to cut a small hole in the apple.
- Poke the worm through the hole. I struggled with this gummi worm for a good three or four minutes before realizing that it had a head and a tail. I have never before seen a gummi worm with a head and a tail, but I suppose I'm not all that up on candy culture these days. It goes into the hole much more easily if you put the tail end in first.
- Use a scoop or a spoon to fill up the remaining holes with peanut butter.
- Stick the two halves of the apple together and serve!
Nutrition
Alicia's Homemaking says
Now THAT's adorable. Love it!
Allison McDonald says
love it!!
Allison McDonald says
Love it!!
Stacie Haight Connerty says
This is both gross and cool at the same time! I love it!!!
Rachel White says
Yummmmm!
Cara says
This is such a cute snack idea! Definitely bookmarking this one to try with my son. He'd probably be equally concerned about the worm!
Robyn Wright says
Just saw this posted on Twitter today - my gosh you have so many awesome ideas all the time!!!! I want to be a kid at your house!