Fruit & Cheese Platter with Caramel Sauce

This fruit and cheese platter is kid (and grownup) snacking at its best, and I’m showing you how to create epic snack boards like these for any occasion. Yes, yes, you’re allowed to make a snack board mid-afternoon for you and the kids to munch on -that’s totally allowed!

At my house, we believe in snacking on nutritionally delicious foods and sometimes, this mom can go overboard when it comes to pulling out what’s in the fridge and pantry and our snacking turn into light meals. 

And what better way to do it than with a family-friendly charcuterie board that can be put together in minutes? This is the ULTIMATE fruit and cheese platter for my kids. 

It has a variety of all our favorite afternoon snacks like fresh apples, cheese, creamy caramel dip, and energy bites arranged on a small cutting board for a fun DIY snacking experience. What’s not to love?? 

What do you put in a Charcuterie Board for Kids?

While many people choose the cured meat and aged cheese boards, this mama is having a good time turning them into a more kid-approved smorgasbord, with their favorite snack foods like fresh apples and cheese, homemade fruit dip, and ApBitz™ dried apples

One of the many things my kids love about Arctic® Golden. Arctic® Granny & Arctic® Fuji apples is that they stay fresh when bitten or sliced; meaning… they don’t brown! Say goodbye to kid complaints and hello to more fresh fruit in their bellies.

Arctic® apples are seasonally available so whenever I can, I purchase them to pack inside my kid’s lunchbox and for snack time. My kids love them because they have a crisp, crunchy texture and don’t brown. At all. Which is certainly something my kids appreciate because brown apples are not as appealing.

Other great ingredients to add to your kid-approved snack board:

• Popcorn
• Pretzels
• Pita chips
• Graham crackers
• Cheese: Cheddar, Gouda, Brie, and Colby Jack
• Nuts: almonds, walnuts, and pistachios
• Fresh fruit: apples, strawberries, pears, and grapes
• Veggies: sliced bell pepper and carrots
• Sweets: Chocolate bits, dried fruit, and yogurt covered raisins
• Dips: fruit preserves or my Homemade Caramel Dip

These types of charcuterie board arrays are perfect for parties and gatherings where people of all ages can find something they like. Leftovers are also highly welcome because they build epic snack boxes for the classroom or office later in the week. I told you we’re serious about our snacks. 

Healthy Snacks for Kids

While I do my share of prepared snacks such as energy bites and smoothies, I also like to provide simple fixes like fresh fruit, especially apples. 

My youngest loves a sliced apple with peanut butter, and It’s proven that kids eat more sliced apples vs. the whole fruit. Thankfully, pre-sliced apples are also super convenient for this mama, and I love keeping Arctic® Golden, Arcitc® Granny and Arctic® Fuji apples on hand because they stay fresh when bitten or sliced. Whether it’s the Granny Smith or Golden Delicious variety, their apples are always sweet and crisp. 

What Kind of Cheese Goes Well with Apples?

Knowing which apple to pair with varieties of cheese, can be super useful to make more impressive charcuterie boards or an epic grilled cheese and apple sandwich- seriously, you should try it. 

Below you will see the cheese I like to pair with each of the Arctic® apple varieties:

1. Arctic® Grannys

Tart, sour-sweet, and super crisp, Granny Smiths pair well with Cheddar, Gouda, Brie, or Blue cheese- if you’re kids are the more adventurous type. 

2. Arctic® Goldens

These apples are much sweeter than Granny Smiths, slightly tart, and firm in texture. Try it with Gorgonzola, Swiss, or soft goat cheese. 

3. Arctic® Fuijis

Fujis are sweet, firm, and super crisp, they do best with Gorgonzola, Fontina, and Havarti cheese. 

How to Arrange a Cheese & Fruit Board

While charcuterie boards are super impressive, they’re a lot simpler to arrange than they appear. A few simple steps and you can create your dazzling snack board.

1. Start with a good base

Choose a sturdy chopping board or large platters are perfect.

2. Grab your ingredients

Depending on how many you want to serve, grab a few items from each category:

• Cheese: 2 or 3
• Fruit: 2 or 3
• Spreads or dips: 1 or 2
• Sweet: 2
• Meat: 2 or 3 (optional)
• Veggies: 2 (optional)

3. Start from the center

Want to know how they create those dazzling charcuterie boards? Start from the center and work your way out, placing opposing colors and textures by one another.

4. Snap a pic for #insta

If you didn’t get a picture of the snack board, then did you make one? After the insta-worthy shot, grab a plate and get snacking.

What are dried apples?

Arctic ApBitz® snacks are dried Arctic® Granny and Arctic® Golden apples that have been cut in the shape of fries. The Granny Smiths are tart, crispy, and have all the apple taste in a healthy and convenient treat. The Golden dried apples are sweet, crispy, and also full of apple-rich flavor. Both varieties are grown and packed in the U.S.A. and make a great single-serve snack

Best Caramel Dip Recipe

Can we talk about this caramel dip for a second??? A creamy, sweet dip made from vanilla Greek yogurt and caramel topping-  it’s the kind of stuff you could eat with everything, trust me, I know. 

I think the best fruit dips are those that in the end help our kids eat more fruit.

The Greek yogurt provides additional protein making this snack board mom-approved and creates a thick, delicious pairing to the crisp sliced apples. This the perfect combination that satisfies everyone’s sweet tooth without the guilt.

As you can see, an Arctic® apple snack board is very easy to make and kids love them! Because Arctic® apples don’t brown, you can easily make this snack board ahead of time and have it prepped for a delicious afternoon snack.

What do you like to pair your apples with? Below, you’ll find my kid’s favorite Caramel Dip recipe.