Easy make ahead cranberry cream cheese dip with chopped pecans is served with peppery crackers for a delicious holiday appetizer that feeds a crowd. You can easily split the cranberry sauce to make two smaller appetizers and freeze half of it for even easier prep later.
PREP TIME 5 minutesminutes
CHILL TIME 1 hourhour
COOK TIME 5 minutesminutes
TOTAL TIME 1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
YIELD 20servings
Ingredients
1(12 oz) package of frozen cranberriesthawed
1cupwhite sugar
1(8 oz) jar of mimosa jamsee notes for easy substitutions
1/2cupwater
1cupchopped pecans
2(8 oz) bricks of cream cheesesoftened
Butter Crackers or Black Pepper Triscuits for serving
Instructions
Prepare the Cranberry Topping
Add the thawed cranberries, sugar, and the jam to a heavy bottomed saucepan. Stir in the water and cook over medium high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
Remove the cranberry mixture from the heat. Stir in the chopped pecans. Once the mixture has cooled down a bit, scrape the cranberry sauce into a storage dish and let it cool completely in the fridge.
Toast the Pecans
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pecans in an even layer on a baking sheet.
Bake the pecans for 4 - 6 minutes or just until fragrant. Watch so they don't burn. Let them cool completely before using in the appetizer.
Assemble for Serving
Place each brick of softened cream cheese on a pretty platter. You can put both on one or separate them to two smaller dishes. Press the back of a spoon into the top center of each brick to form a well.
Spoon half of the chilled cranberry sauce over the top of each of the softened cream cheese bricks. Serve at room temperature with butter crackers or Triscuits.
Recipe Notes
Easy Jam Variations:
I used a jar of Stonewall Kitchen's Mimosa Jam which features orange and champagne as ingredients. If you don't want to order this specialty jam, you could easily substitute your favorite brand or homemade version of: