Cranberry jalapeno cream cheese dip is fresh cranberry salsa spooned over a layer of whipped cream cheese. Nothing is cooked, but the salsa needs four hours in the fridge first. It serves twelve and takes fifteen minutes of actual work.
Strain the salsa before it touches the cream cheese, and use a colander with small holes. Four hours with sugar pulls a surprising amount of liquid out of the cranberries, and unstrained it runs straight off the plate. The drained juice is worth keeping for a drink.
Pulse the cranberries, never run the processor continuously, because they go from chopped to puree in about three seconds. Puree gives you a pink paste that bleeds into the cream cheese instead of sitting on top. A hand chopper is slower and leaves better texture.
Cranberry Jalapeno Cream Cheese Dip
Course: AppetizerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalWhipping the cream cheese for two to three minutes makes it spreadable rather than a stiff block, and it is the step most people skip. The finished dip keeps three to four days, and the salsa alone freezes.
Ingredients
12 oz bag fresh cranberries
1 jalapeno, seeds removed for less heat
3 green onions
2 to 3 tablespoons cilantro
1 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
Sturdy crackers or pita chips, to serve
Directions
- Chop: Pulse the cranberries, jalapeno, cilantro and green onions in a food processor or hand chopper until finely chopped, never pureed.
- Chill: Stir through the sugar, salt and lemon juice, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Strain: Tip the mixture into a colander with small openings and let the juices drain away.
- Whip: Beat the cream cheese for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy, then spread it over a platter or pie plate.
- Top: Spoon the drained salsa over the cream cheese and serve with sturdy crackers or pita chips.
Two numbers on the original recipe do not survive a closer look.
FAQs
Is it really 79 calories?
Not once the cream cheese is in it. The listed figure also gives one gram of fat, which is impossible for a dip built on sixteen ounces of cream cheese. Counting it properly puts each serving nearer two hundred and ten calories and thirteen grams of fat.
How far ahead can I really make it?
Two days, despite the post saying a week. The author gives the shorter answer herself in the comments, and it is the one to trust. Cranberries keep softening the longer they sit in sugar, so assemble on the cream cheese only at serving time.
Can I freeze the salsa?
Yes, in an airtight container, which is not mentioned anywhere in the recipe itself. Expect extra liquid when it thaws, so drain it again before it goes near the cream cheese. The cream cheese layer should always be made fresh.
Can I use canned jalapenos?
Yes, though you have to drain them thoroughly first. Canned jalapenos carry brine that adds liquid to a mixture you are about to strain anyway. The flavor also leans pickled rather than fresh, so use fresh if you have the choice.
What do I do with the leftover cranberries?
A twelve-ounce bag goes a long way and you will have none left, but the season is short. Making a cranberry chipotle sauce while they are in the shops gives you a second use with the same sweet-heat idea. Both freeze, so buy two bags.
What else belongs on the table?
Things that need no oven, since this dip has already taken the fridge space. Texas Christmas pickles work on the same sweet and hot principle and can be made weeks earlier. Keep one hot item and let everything else be cold.
The source nutrition of 79 calories and 1g fat per serving accounts for the cranberry salsa only and omits the 16 ounces of cream cheese the recipe is built on. The post also states the salsa can be made up to a week ahead, while the author’s own reply in the comments says no more than two days. Nutrition is the source plugin’s automatic calculation and should be treated as an approximation.
