Description
A tangy and sweet cranberry cream cheese dip perfect for holiday gatherings or party appetizers. This easy-to-make dip combines cooked cranberries, sugar, apricot preserves, and pecans spooned over soft cream cheese, served best with buttery crackers or pretzel chips.
Ingredients
Scale
Cranberry Mixture
- 12 oz package frozen whole cranberries, thawed
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup apricot preserves or jam
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Cream Cheese Base and Serving
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened (2 bricks of 8 oz each)
- buttery crackers or pretzel chips, for serving
- fresh mint, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare Cranberry Mixture: Add cranberries, sugar, apricot preserves, and water to a large saucepan.
- Heat the Mixture: Heat over medium-high heat until boiling, stirring constantly. The mixture will bubble, froth, and you may hear the cranberries popping.
- Cook the Cranberries: Continue to boil and stir for 5 minutes until the cranberries have popped open and the mixture darkens in color.
- Add Pecans: Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the chopped pecans.
- Cool the Mixture: Allow the cranberry mixture to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until completely chilled.
- Prepare Cream Cheese: Gently press a spoon into the center of the softened cream cheese to create a small divot.
- Assemble the Dip: Spoon the chilled cranberry mixture on top of the cream cheese in the divot.
- Serve: Serve the dip with buttery crackers or pretzel chips and garnish with fresh mint if desired.
Notes
- Make sure to thaw the cranberries before cooking for even cooking.
- You can substitute apricot preserves with other fruit jams like orange marmalade for a different flavor.
- For a nuttier texture, toast the pecans lightly before adding.
- This dip can be made a day ahead for flavors to meld; keep refrigerated until serving.
- If cream cheese is too firm, soften at room temperature for easier spreading.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8th brick
- Calories: 210 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
