Cran-Orange Dip with a Kick!

Quick and easy cran-orange cream cheese appetizer with jalapeno!

What you will need:

• 1 bag of fresh cranberries
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 1 orange (juiced and zested)
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 block of cream cheese
• dipping crackers or bread of your choice

Begin by preparing the cranberries and softening the cream cheese. Set the block of cream cheese on the counter to warm and soften while you make the rest of the recipe (let it soften for 2 hrs). Then start the cranberries in a pot on the stove. Add the cup of water and sugar, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the bag of cranberries to the pot and re-bring to a boil and let simmer and thicken. Once the berries are thick, remove from heat and cool until jelled; it can take several hours.

As the berries are cooling, zest and juice the orange, de-seed and dice the jalapeno (we remove the seeds/ribs, they can be left in for more spice if desired). Hold aside a small amount (about 1/2 teaspoon) of zest for a garnish and about 1 teaspoon of jalapeno.

Now it is time to boil down the cranberries again, but this time add in the orange juice, zest, and diced jalapenos. Let cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally until the flavors have melded together.

Once the cream cheese has softened, it is ready to whip (with a hand mixer or kitchen aid) until it is light and fluffy.

Now that your cranberries and cream cheese are ready, it is time to plate. Begin by choosing your dishware to serve the appetizer. For this specific appetizer, it is important to use a dish that is at least 12″ wide with a shallow lip so that the cream cheese can spread.

To plate, spread all the whipped cream cheese on the bottom of the dish and then layer the cranberries on top of the spread cheese. Now garnish with the remaining orange zest and jalapeno and enjoy!

Number of servings: 15

Nutrition Facts/serving: 79 kcal, 1g fat, 18g carbs, 1g fiber, 18g sugar, 0g protein