Best Christmas Party Cranberry Dip Recipes

CHRISTMAS PARTY CRANBERRY DIP RECIPE - (4.3/5)

Steps:

• CRANBERRY SAUCE: Sort through berries and remove any stems and blemished berries (brown or mushy ones). Rinse with water and drain well in a colander. Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan over medium/medium heat, bring water, sugar, and salt to a boil; then boil for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Stir in the cranberries and bring back to a boil; continue boiling 5-6 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until cranberries "pop". It's important that they "pop" to release the natural pectin which thickens the sauce. TIP: For a different flavor twist, after the sauce has finished cooking, stir in 1 tablespoon grated orange zest, 1 finely minced fresh jalapeno pepper (remove seeds first), or 2 to 3 tablespoons peach or pineapple preserves. (Shown with a little peach preserves). Pour sauce into a serving dish and cool to room temperature or refrigerate until chilled. Spread the cream cheese in the bottom of a pie plate. Top with cooled cranberry sauce. Serve with crackers. Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator.

CREAMY CRANBERRY DIP

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, honey and cinnamon until smooth. Spread into a shallow bowl or 9-in. pie plate. Top with cranberry sauce. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, sprinkle with almonds. Serve with crackers.

SEVEN-LAYER CRANBERRY COBB DIP

Steps:

• Special equipment: a 2-quart trifle bowl
• Adjust two oven racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and the bread on another baking sheet. Bake the walnuts until golden and toasted, about 10 minutes. Bake the bread until lightly golden brown and crispy, 10 to 12 minutes. Set both aside to cool completely. Finely chop 2 cups of the walnuts and set aside.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, parsley, scallions, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Put the chicken in a food processor along with 1 cup of the sour cream mixture, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Process until the mixture is a chunky puree. Transfer to another medium bowl and set aside.
• Rinse out the food processor, and add the toasted bread, 2 cups of the unchopped walnuts, the mustard and 1 teaspoon salt. Process until the mixture resembles a chunky puree. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil and 2 tablespoons water through the feed tube. Continue to process until smooth.
• To assemble the dip, make an even layer of the chicken salad in the bottom of a 2-quart trifle bowl. Then top with even layers of the following: the walnut mixture, chopped celery stalks, blue cheese, the reserved finely chopped walnuts, the remaining sour cream-herb sauce and then the cranberries. Sprinkle with the celery leaves. Serve right away, or cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours or overnight. Serve with crackers.

CRANBERRY DIP

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine cranberries with sugar in a 2 quart baking dish with a lid, stirring well to coat all the berries. Bake in the preheated oven, covered, for about 30 minutes, until the cranberries pop and release their liquid.
• Remove from oven and stir in the apricot jam and pecans. Refrigerate overnight to blend the flavors. To serve, allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature, and pour dip over the block of cream cheese on a serving dish. Serve with buttery round crackers or small pretzels.