Cranberry Dip
This fun and festive holiday cranberry dip is swirled with cream cheese and honey and topped with the most delicious candied pecans. It's perfect for all your holiday needs from parties to potlucks to family gatherings galore!
Ingredients
- 12 oz cream cheese, softened (regular or neufchâtel)
- 1/2-3/4 cup leftover cranberry sauce
- 2-4 TBSP honey
- zest of 1 lime
- juice of 1/2 a lime
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon or to taste
- pinch of salt
EASY CANDIED PECANS:
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 TBSP unsalted butter
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 2 TBSP honey
- the teeniest dash of salt
- Feel free to use pecans or walnuts for this recipe. As I mentioned above, you can get super nutty and additional nuts into the dip too. It's beyond fantastic that way!
- Serve with an array of fun crackers, pretzels, grahams, apple slices, sliced pears, and even fluffy pita wedges.The crackers I used are multi-seed cranberry hazelnut crisps.
Instructions
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Soften cream cheese to room temperature
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Add to a food processor with your cranberry sauce, honey, lime juice, cinnamon, and salt.
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Next add about 1/2 the lime zest and reserve the rest for a zesty (hah!) green garnish. The lime is 100% optional (I love this spreadable dip both ways!) but adds a welcome burst of refreshing citrus. If you love limes, totally snag one for this dip.
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Blend away to creamy cranberry perfection!
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Give it a taste and feel free to adjust honey and cinnamon as desired.
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Just be sure to unplug the food processor before trying to lick it clean. You're welcome.
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Top with your candied pecans (instructions below) and a sprinkle of lime zest for a burst of color.
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NO FOOD PROCESSOR? No problem! You can totally do the legwork by hand. Stir baby stir!
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CANDIED PECANS: Feel free to use whole pecans or chopped, whichever you prefer! Heat a skillet or saucepan to medium heat and butter to melt. Next add in your pecans, honey, salt, and sugar. Saute for 5-6 minutes and pour onto parchment paper or a cutting board to cool, using a spatula to separate the nuts. Otherwise you'll have yummy pecan brittle that will probably end up in your face instead of on top of this dip. It's so good! Allow to cool for several minutes until the coating hardens and your pecans have officially been candied! Woot!
Recipe Notes
For the cranberry sauce, I used my slow cooker cranberry sauce recipe. The sauce can also be whipped up stove top too. I like to make a giant pot of sauce before the holidays even begin and freeze it, since it defrosts marvelously! This way there's one less side dish I have to make for Thanksgiving! Making this after Turkey Day? You're in luck! Just snag some sauce and make this as an appetizer for your next get together! Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts below are estimated using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed and enjoy!