Easy Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

If you’re looking for a cranberry cream cheese dip, this is one of the easiest (and BEST) cranberry cheese dip recipes I’ve ever made and it’s perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We add cranberry and orange for a perfectly citrusy flavor balanced by the cream cheese. It makes an awesome cheese spread for crackers, bread, and even apples! Or, try it as a  cranberry spread for sandwiches!

What can I do with raw cranberries?

If you’ve never cooked with raw cranberries, they can be a little intimidating.

But, don’t worry! There easy to work with and you can do so many different things with them!

Raw cranberries, especially if you have them for the holidays or Christmas, are great to bake and cook with (and you can even use them for decorating!).  

Here are some ideas for raw cranberries:

• Make popcorn and cranberry garland.
• Make cranberry sauce.
• Make sugared cranberries to use as a snack, decoration, or with other dishes. (If you’re wondering how to eat fresh cranberries, this is a great way!)
• Dry them in a dehydrator and use dried cranberries in salads and other dishes.
• Bake cranberry-orange cookies. (Yes! You can bake with fresh cranberries!)
• Use them in a juice or smoothie.
• Make a cranberry compote or jelly.
• Use them in muffins, scones, cakes, and breads.
• Fresh cranberries can be frozen (for up to 9 months) to use for later.
• Make this easy cranberry cream cheese dip!

 

DID YOU KNOW: Cranberries are related to blueberries and huckleberries? Click to Tweet

 

If you’re wondering What flavors go well with cranberry? or What can you do with cream cheese? this is the perfect recipe!

But, before we get to the cranberry recipe, let’s talk about some kids’ books you can pair up with these easy recipe to make with kids!

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Festive Holiday Children’s Books

This is a super easy festive holiday dip that kids will love (and love making), so be sure to pair it up with some holiday books that are just as festive! 

We recommend these to read while you enjoy your cranberry dip:

In A Christmas Tree for Pyn, Pyn wants to decorate her very first Christmas tree, but her grumpy father says, “No!”

This sweet story is about how Pyn is determined to make their home festive and cheery by finding the perfect Christmas tree!

Check it out to see if Pyn gets her wish or her dad continues to say Bah-Humbug!

 

If you’re looking for a book that gives a glimpse into different Christmas celebrations, check out Walk This World at Christmastime.

From the book:

Let’s take a stroll around the world,
to all four corners of the globe.
Peek through windows, open doors,
watch as Christmastime unfolds . . .

This lift-the-flap book is perfect to use like an advent calendar, too!

Over the River and Through the Wood: The New England Boy’s Song About Thanksgiving Day is a book illustrated to the song you probably grew up singing at the holidays!

 

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip with Orange

Easy Cranberry Orange Cream Cheese Dip

Print

This cranberry cream cheese dip is a fast and easy recipe that can even be added last minute to your holiday festivities.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup orange marmalade
• 12 ounces cream cheese, softened

Instructions

1. Wash cranberries and place in a pot. Add 1/4 cup water.
2. Add sugar and marmalade to pot. Stir.
3. Cover pot and heat on low until cranberries just start to pop, around 10 minutes. Stir.
4. Spread softened cream cheese on the bottom of a baking dish or a festive holiday dish.
5. Add cranberry mixture on top of the cream cheese and gently spread.
6. Serve with crackers, crusty bread, or apples.

Notes

• You can serve this at room temperature or warm. If you want to serve it warm, heat in the microwave or cover and heat in oven for 10 minutes at 350 until just heated through.
• If your cranberry mixture seems to thin, let it cook down a little longer and remove from burner. Sit for 10 minutes to thicken.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 291Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 126mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 1gSugar: 42gProtein: 2g

Nutrition information is estimated. Changes to the recipe and use of different brands may cause changes to the nutritional information to vary slightly from the ones provided here.

More Holiday Books for Kids

If you need some other Christmas children’s books, check these out. You probably haven’t read them yet!