Spice Up Your Holiday Table with This Addictive Cranberry Jalapeño Cream Cheese Spread - Ten minute prep time!

 

If you're anything like me, the rapidly approaching holiday season means endless charcuterie boards, potlucks, and “just one more bite” moments. But let's be honest here, sometimes the usual dips feel a bit overdone. Enter my you’ll-thank-me-later, it’s-ready-in-ten-minutes (okay, okay, plus chill time) Spicy Cranberry Jalapeño Cream Cheese Spread. It's sweet, tangy, spicy, and creamy all in one swoop.

Inspired by those jewel-like cranberries at the market, I whipped this up last weekend. It's naturally lower in fat thanks to Neufchâtel, but trust me—no one will notice (or care). If you’re hosting soon, pin this now.Spicy Cranberry Jalapeño Cream Cheese Spread

 1 3-oz. pkg. Melissa’s dried cranberries

¾ c. boiling water

1 Melissa’s pickled jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1 t. pickling brine from the jar

¼ c. diced red onion 

1½ T. sugar

12 oz. Neufchâtel cream cheese, softened

¼ c. sour cream

½ c. grated Parmesan cheese

Place cranberries in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for 3 minutes to soften slightly; drain.

Place cranberries, pickled jalapeno, brine, red onion, and sugar into the work bowl of a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped.

Gently fold the chopped cranberry-jalapeño mixture into the cream cheese until fully incorporated; stir in sour cream and Parmesan. Don't overmix—some visible flecks add pretty color!

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to overnight) to let the flavors meld and intensify. 

Spoon into a serving dish and enjoy with crackers, toasted baguette slices, crudités (like celery or cucumber), or as a bagel topper. In you’re feeling fancy, pipe it into mini phyllo shells for bite-sized apps.

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