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Cranberry Cream Cheese Spread

Cranberry cream cheese spread with fresh cranberry salsa is a bright, jewel-red topping that chills for bold flavor. Pulse the cranberries until finely chopped, then layer over softened cream cheese and spoon on just before serving for maximum freshness.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Calories: 295
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Fresh cranberries
  • 12 oz fresh cranberries
Sugar
  • 0.5 cup sugar
Green onions
  • 2 green onions
Jalapeno
  • 1 jalapeno
Fresh cilantro
  • 0.25 cup fresh cilantro
Lime juice
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
Salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt
Cream cheese
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
Crackers for serving
  • 1 crackers for serving

Equipment

  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Make the cranberry salsa
  1. Pulse the fresh cranberries in a food processor until finely chopped, with a bright red, granular texture (visual cue: no large whole berries remain).
  2. Stir the chopped cranberries with sugar, green onions, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, and salt until evenly combined and glossy (visual cue: sugar is dissolved and everything looks uniformly red-green speckled).
  3. Cover and chill the cranberry mixture for at least 1 hour so the flavors meld (visual cue: it thickens slightly and the color deepens).
Assemble and serve
  1. Spread the softened cream cheese onto a serving plate in an even layer so it reaches the edges (visual cue: smooth, level surface).
  2. Spoon the cranberry mixture over the top just before serving so it stays vibrant (visual cue: jewel-red salsa piled in a layer).
  3. Serve with crackers on the side for scooping (visual cue: crackers arranged for easy grabbing).

Notes

Pro tip: seed and mince the jalapeno finely for even heat throughout. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; for best texture, keep the cranberry layer off the cream cheese until closer to serving. Freezing is not recommended because fresh cranberry salsa can lose texture after thawing. If you want a lighter option, use reduced-fat cream cheese while keeping the same chilling step for flavor melding.