Cranberry Dip

I would start by ignoring any reviewers that did not follow the directions and gave it less than 5 stars. The recipe clearly says to pour the sauce over the cream cheese so make sure you do that. The sauce is great as a dip with the cream cheese, or you can use it as a relish. Great recipe as-is!

I have to agree with Willow, if you completely change a recipe how can you rate it??? I followed the directions except I didn't have apricot jam so I used Peach jam that was on hand. I followed the directions and POURED the mixture over room temperature cream cheese. Severed it with crackers and it was a hit.

This recipe is a great addition to a Christmastime appetizer buffet, simple to make and pleasing to the eye. Easy and delicious, just what I'm looking forward when things are so busy. I'm also puzzled by reviewers who add their own twist or don't carefully read a recipe and then proceed to give a recipe a lower rating because of their mistake! Indeed the recipe "did not state when to add the cream cheese," however it DID say, "...pour dip over the block of cream cheese on a serving dish." At any rate, the recipe is a keeper as written - guests scarf it up!

Really good, easy to do on the stove, takes about 10-15 minutes. 3/4 C sugar works well. I spread the softened cream cheese on a pie plate and pour mix over, more colorful than stirring it all together.

I have always loved cranberry sauce and never thought to do this. I'll use orange marmalade which is a wonderful complement to the cranberries. Super!

This is GREAT as a grilled cheese sandwich!!! Put between bread, outside buttered, and grill (pan fry).

I took this to a Christmas party last night with pretzels to dip it in, and got some rave reviews. However, I had made some changes to the recipe (due to time and lack of ingredients), and thought I would probably change some things in the future. I used dried cranberries, not fresh. I candied the cranberries and sugar in a pot on the stove, rather than in the oven. I added the jam to the pot, and then once that was mixed together, I added the cream cheese (the recipe didn't state when to add the cream cheese). It really changed the consistency and flavor of the cream cheese big time, and I ended up adding another 4 oz of it to give it a bit more of that flavor. I think in the future, I would still do the cranberries the same (but use probably 1/4 cup sugar), but let the mixture cool before adding the cream cheese.

I made this dip for a Holiday social at work. It was a huge hit. Everyone was asking for the recipe. I used walnuts instead of pecans and it was still great. Thanks, will make again.

Awesome! I used raspberry jam instead of apricot because that's what I had. Everyone LOVED it! I used two packages of cream cheese, softened, and spread into the bottom of a pretty pie pan. I've made it twice, once in the oven and once on the stove top. Both turned out great. The second time I reduced the sugar a bit, and it was still awesome. Thanks for a great recipe. I wanted to make this in the spring, but cranberries weren't in season. I got creative and tried frozen rhubarb with cherry jelly. I used 3/4 c of sugar. It was tart and yummy!

Absolutely amazing! My friend gave me the idea when she brought it to a party and I made the same dish the next day for some company. It's a great crowd pleaser! It's the perfect appetizer for any meal and the unique dish is a good conversation-starter. It is super easy to make but just make sure to start it the day before so you can refrigerate it. It is very sweet so you may want to put a little less sugar than 1 cup but then again, who doesn't like sweetness? My only complaint is that it isn't the healthiest with all of cream cheese and sugar but it tastes great so it's hard to be negative about it. It makes a very large portion of the cranberry/apricot topping so for small crowds, you may want to use a little less of each ingredient. It tastes good with butter crackers and pretzels. I recommend this to everyone. Enjoy and happy cookin'!

This was a hit at Thanksgiving this year. I will say that there was more cranberry dip than cream cheese. That was easily solved with another block or cream cheese! The pretzels were a favorite over crackers, the mixture of sweet and salty was just perfect!

Yep, this is a keeper. I made this for a gathering and am sharing the recipe today with friends. I made it as it is written, I spread the cream cheese on a platter and served with a choice of pretzals or the pretzal/townhouse crackers. I will use 3/4 c. sugar next time. You won't be disappointed in the sweet-salt combination of this option.

This is a winner! Served with pretzels at a party and brought home an empty bowl. That always speaks volumes! My cranberries didn't "pop" too well in the oven at 30 minutes, so I added 10 and then still took a pastry blender to the berries to sorta smash them. Worked well, though and the end result was great.

OK, I didn't like the taste of this at first. (Of course I had to try it right after it was cooked!) After it sat in the fridge overnight, it turned into something really amazing! The cranberries still retained an appropriate amount of tartness, but mellow and sweet. I cooked the berries and sugar for about 15 minutes on med-low heat in a saucepan, really easy. Then added the jam and nuts. Even my hubby who does not like nuts, liked it. Easy to make, almost addicting appetizer! (And pretty)

Very wonderful. And festive for holidays. I rate 4 stars as written and 5 stars if you leave out the nuts. I wouldn't call it dip, as it must be served poured over cream cheese. Not good without the cream cheese. Covers more than one block. Put a knife in for guests to use to spread it. Too stout to just use a cracker to to scoop up.

This is wonderful and will be in my top appetizer list! It was simple to make, can be made ahead and tastes devine. I only used 1/2 the cranberry topping for one block of cream cheese and found it to be plenty.

What a great recipe, haven't tried it yet but will soon. I tend to agree that making the recipe as written the 1st time is a good idea, but having read the reviews will probably start with walnuts & orangemarmalade. For those of you who don't care to cook the cranberries a can of wholeberry cranberry sauce will probably work just as well. Just a thought.

I made this three times this year and people were always surprised at how good it is. I suggest cutting the cranberry sauce in half; there's way too much for one bar of cream cheese. You could double the cream cheese, but that's an awful lot of dip! Also, it looks more appetizing if you spread the cream cheese in a pie plate and pour the cranberry sauce on top. The third time I made it, I substituted raspberry jam for the apricot and it was even better. Rather than trying to get it to stick to a pretzel, use pretzel chips and then you can get lots of dip in every bite.

Excellent! Made it just as the recipe stated. Took it to my Christmas potluck luncheon for about 60 people and it was a hit. So so good. I think next time I will try something different for the presentation. Thinking about spreading the cream cheese out on a platter (like with surprise spread or 7 layer dip) and spreading the cranberry mixture over top.

Wow!!! This was a HUGE hit at Thanksgiving! So simple to make and excellent combination of flavors. I served this with mini pretzels but people were grabbing crackers because they said they wanted to be able to scoop up as much as possible!!!

Amazing recipe! This was the overall favorite at my last get together at work. I used 1/2 the sugar and it was still great. This will be added to the list of recipes used on the holidays, it was great.

I have made this at least 10 times and every time it has received rave reviews. I agree that if you do not follow the instructions then you cannot give it a low rating. Make it as is.

Very good! And so easy. I served it over 1/3 fat cream cheese and it was still great!!

I thought this was pretty, tasty and interesting, but on a table with many appetizers it was barely touched. Maybe it was just too unusual for the crowd that was present.

Yum! Yum! This is a HUGE hit at Thanksgiving. Definitely, don't serve this right away - it has to sit for at least 2 hrs (I didn't think overnight is necessary). My husband didn't like it when I made it, but later in the day he loved it!! The flavors blended so nicely. I didn't have pecans and used walnuts. Delish!

I made this just a little different. I combined the cranberries, half the sugar and jam with a touch of orange juice and orange zest. Because I had NO room in my oven, I brought this up to a boil on my stove and cooked until the cranberries started to pop. I took it off the heat, and once the sauce cooled a bit, I stirred in the pecans. Don't know about a dip but this was a nice cranberry sauce. Different. My kids especially liked it.

Great recipe! I personally like reading all the variations that people do. That's what makes cooking fun - the ability to be creative.

This was yummy! I made two modifications. I didn't have any apricot jam so I used pineapple preserves and it great! Also, I made it on the stove top. I boiled the sugar in some water while I rinsed and sorted the berries then popped them in the water to boil and pop. It's a very easy recipe.

YUM ! I mixed some sour cream in with the cream cheese to make it softer and more dippable. And, prior to pouring the sauce over the top, I spread the cheese out over my high sided glass plate instead of leaving the cheese in a block. A beautiful presentation and everyone at the party loved it! The small pretzels are perfect with it.

This is my "go to" dip from Thanksgiving through Christmas! I've been making it for 2 years and I love it! The only comment I have is that it makes a lot, so I freeze half of the dip to use at another gathering, or I put it over 2 blocks of cream cheese if I plan on using the whole dip. YUMMY!

Great recipe!!!! Made it last year and will make it again for New Years with friends. Only change I made was less sugar to make it more tart, great on turkey too.

This was actually pretty good. I did cut the sugar by half, and it was still sweet enough, but tart also. My husband put some on a piece of cheesecake and said it was yummy.

OMG..you can't find a simpler recipe. And....it's delicious!!!! I ended up using 12 ounces of jam (instead of 8 ounces). It was an oversight, but it worked out just fine. I might even try putting apricots in the mix next time. It started out as a dip, but my Thanksgiving host ended up putting it on the table for a side dish with dinner. YUMMY!!!

I made this to bring to a holiday party, everyone loved it!

This dip was amazing. It was so delicious and pretty for a holiday party. Using the measurements from the recipe, I had enough for 3 bricks of cream cheese.

Brought it to a Holiday party, and everyone loved it (especially me). Thanks for a great recipe.

This was okay. Was just way too much like homemade cranberry relish for your Thanksgiving table. I am gauging this rating by the amount of dip that was left in the dish at the end of the party (and I did follow the directions exactly).

I made this dip exactly as written for a family Thanksgiving and got rave reviews from everyone. I wouldn't change a thing!

I made it per the recipe listed above and it was great!

Made as is for my family Christmas and it was a big hit. Served with crackers and thin pretzels. Yum. New holiday favorite.

I have zero interest in cranberry sauce but always felt like it was an essential part of the holiday season. This recipe has saved cranberries from being left out of my holiday dinner. This is the only way to eat cranberries. It is so good with pretzels that I crave it. Thank you!

Delicious!! Was a huge hit!!

5 stars. I made it twice and this dip was a hit at both gatherings and it couldn't be any easier to make. I only used 2/3 cup sugar and it was plenty sweet enough. Made it on the stove top by combining sugar with 1/3 cup water in a saucepan over medium/low heat until sugar dissolved and mixture started to boil. Added the sorted, rinsed cranberries and cooked for 11 minutes, stirring about every minute or so. I chose to release a bit more of the juices by lightly mashing in the pan after removing from the heat but before stirring in the nuts and jam (I used walnuts and apricot preserves and it turned out great). This recipe is enough for 2 blocks of cream cheese, so if you are only serving at a smaller gathering, freeze the other half in a plastic container (just thaw by placing in the fridge the night before use, so works great as a make-ahead). I prefer to serve this dip by spreading a softened block of cream cheese in a shallow glass container and covering with the cranberry mixture before serving. Served with buttery round crackers in order to spread more goodness into every bite. Thanks so much for posting this beautiful, delicious, festive recipe!

I made this recipe as written and it looked so pretty and festive on the appetizer table but it's taste was nothing stellar. My guests tried it on one or two crackers but then left it alone. Don't think I will serve this again.

Oh my! This is absolutely wonderful. Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe. My husband loves orange marmalade so I used that. Put the cranberries and sugar in the oven while I continued with other dishes. Stirred in the marmalade and pecans when baking was done and into the fridge to rest overnight. I poured over cream cheese as stated. It was beautiful on the plate and my guests loved it. So did I. This will be a staple for my holidays and any other time in between. Thanks again.

Very good. Did use 2 packages of cream cheese and then sprinkled gorgonzola cheese on top!

So easy and SO yummy!

Mine didn't turn out well, but I'm giving this one more star since I think it would be better if I had followed the directions. I doubled the recipe for a party and spread it in a pan, but it was too thin and no one could get any on their pretzels, so it remained pretty much untouched. If I had kept it as a block, I think more people would have eaten it.

This recipe is awesome! I followed the recipe exactly and wouldn't add or change a thing. I made this recipe for Christmas eve with family and friends and everyone was raving about it and asking for the recipe! It's easy, it's festive, it's a beautiful presentation, it would even be nice for a Valentine's Day celebration or anytime for that matter! This recipe really makes alot so I think next time I will use 2 packages of cream cheese with it. Thanks so much for this recipe...this will definitely be a part of our Christmas every year!

This has an AWESOME flavor, but is nearly impossible to use as a "dip." the cream cheese stays too stiff.

I made this for my family last year and everyone loved it! I made it exactly as written and think it is great the way it is, it also adds a great splash of color to the table. I am definitely making it again this year!

I made this mainly for the color next to the quacamole for Christmas. But OMG, this was such a huge surprise for taste. No one could stop eating it. I made it exactly as the recipe called. My only advice is that when you cook the cranberries put them in a pot with tall sides, it started overflowing all over my oven.

A BIG success at Thanksgiving, even without the pecans. Was told I needed to make this at Christmas as well!

I made this exactly as the recipe stated and it is terrific! Super fast and easy! This will become a Thanksgiving staple in our home.

I have made this a few times and it is always a hit. I heat the cranberries on the stove instead of the oven, but other than that I follow the recipe exactly.I served it with rosemary crackers from Trader Joes and I had no leftovers.

I took a leap of faith and brought this to a holiday girls' night with some pretzel crisps (the flat pretzels that are like chips). THIS WAS DELICIOUS! I omitted the pecans (allergic) but followed the rest of the recipe to the letter. It was a crowd favorite! I had to make another batch to snack on at home (hint: it is to DIE for paired with a cuppa' orange spice tea). Definite winner!

Delicious. Exactly the type of recipe I was looking for to spoon on top of cream cheese. So much better then anything I've bought to serve on a cream cheese block!!! Chop the pecans pretty fine so they fit on the crackers. Baking the cranberries was perfect you don't have to add any liquid. Great recipe...thank you!!

This just didn't go over well

Made the recipe as described. It was delicious! I thought it went best with graham crackers. It also made great crepe filling.

It was a great hit at the party! There was a lot of dip compared to the cream cheese though, so I'm not sure it looked great, but it tasted wonderful. I made it exactly as per the recipe (except I didn't let the cream cheese warm enough).

Everyone loved it... so easy!

very easy and delicious. I did substitute the cream cheese for goat cheese. And the leftovers I smear on a turkey sandwich, outstanding.

Easy and a hit with all that tried it. This one will be on my short list to take to parties. I have made this recipe a second time using the orange marmalade and a suggestion was made that this would be great for brunch on toasted bagels.

Very Good recipe; I am still trying to find the "right" item to serve with it. Crackers, in my opinion, not so good; pretzel sticks (the larger dipping ones) are good. Still think there should be something else that can be used to "dip" with!!!

Made this dish and brought it to work, everyone loved it! Sooo good! It has been requested to bring during a get together in the future.

Loved this recipe as is, but I kicked it up with a jalapeño I threw in my mini processor! Was amazing!!

Made this dip twice lately because I loved it so much. I made it the first time with sugar free apricot preserves and Splenda and the second time with sugar free orange marmalade and Splenda. I am diabetic and this enabled me to eat more as it was so delicious. :-) The dip with the orange marmalade reminded me of the cranberry relish my mom used to make when I was growing up. I know I will make this much more than I should. Will try lower fat cream cheese next time. Pouring the cranberry mixture over the cheese block worked perfectly for me. Just the right blend of flavors. I did let it sit overnight in the fridge and really agree that it helped blend the flavors. Update: I have made this recently and have decided it might be easier to dip if the cream cheese were spread out and the cranberry mixture spread out to make a two layer dip. I have used fat free cream cheese and it worked for me but low fat would probably work best for most people. ??

Easy to make and simply delicious!

This was so good and so simple. I used canned whole cranberry sauce, apricot jam, pecans and 1 finely diced pickled jalapeño for a little kick! Everyone loved it!

I tried this recipe for the first time this year for Thanksgiving, brought it to my family gathering and it was an instant classic. My entire family raved about it and practically demanded that this become a new holiday tradition for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I followed the recipe exactly, just omitting the pecans because of the people who didn't like nuts in the group, Served it on a simple white square plate and whala.. at the end of the night, not a single bite was left. Simply amazing!! So happy I found this one!

Yep! I could eat this by myself! Added pineapple preserves and sliced almonds because it's what I had on hand. Served with flat pretzels! Absolutely delish!

Very good. Incredibly simple, and very nice. A good addition to the dishes at the housewarming party we went to this afternoon. It also has the happy result of using up the remaining cranberries in my freezer from last year and using up the jam in my fridge. I didn't have apricot jam, but I did have peach, so I used that, which worked fine. I didn't have quite enough jam but it was still plenty flavorful and sweet. Everyone seemed to love the dip, and I left it there bc the hostess loved it. thanks for the recipe!

This was great dish! Wonderful contrast of flavors especially with pretzels.

This is really good and pretty. I made it almost just like the recipe. I used walnuts instead of pecans, just because that's what I had more of. I used sugar free apricot jam and 1/2 Splenda and 1/2 sugar to reduce the sugar. I took it to work for a Christmas potluck and several people asked for the recipe.

Too sweet; kind of like dipping up cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving. I tried to mix in the cream cheese to make it easier to dip and it just didn't look very appetizing. Won't make again.

Made this the first time for a get together for the women at church. I had requests for the recipe and it was so easy I was able to remember it by heart. This is a super easy way to enjoy cranberries for the holidays. My husband got to taste it and said he really liked it. I intend to make this every year.

Cant believe the people who go on about remembering the reason for the season and then proceed to trash someone for "not reading a recipe" or "not measuring" or having common sense, etc. How hypocritical... Thanks for the recipe & the tips. Worked great with the can of whole cranberry sauce.

Great recipe, very easy to make. I skipped the pecans and doubled the cream cheese (which i think was necessary or there would've been lots of the cranberry mixture leftover. Was a HUGE hit.

I thought this sounded so interesting, I had to try it. I got lots of positive comments at the party I took it to. We dipped pretzels, crackers and bagel pieces into it. It was a little hard to get it out with the bagels. But, I don't think I let it sit out of the fridge long enough to soften up. I'll definitely make it again.

Everyone loves this dip! I serve it over a block of cream cheese (it makes enough for 2 blocks) with ritz crackers. Perfect combination of sweet with a little tang/creamy/salty. The only changes I made were: I cooked the berries and sugar on the stovetop on low till they popped. I also used peach jam instead of apricot.

This recipe was delicious. I followed it exactly (except I used whipped cream cheese instead of the block). Everyone who tried it thought it was awesome. I will definitely be making this again.

I made this for a dinner party and loved it. Very easy and good. A great holiday recipe! Also, would be very good as just a general relish any time of the year. I will definitely be making it again.

Really enjoyed this recipe...such a nice change of pace for an appetizer. Thanks for sharing!

Delicious! I made this for a cocktail party that I hosted last night and everyone loved it. The cranberries took about 45 minutes in the oven and I used fat free cream cheese, I would definetly make this again!

This was a huge hit. A nice combination of sweet with the cheese. I sprinkled the pecans on top instead of in the cranberries. This way those who don't care for pecans can move around them. Will definitely make this again.

REALLY good but a bit too sweet.

It is a very tasty recipe and everyone liked it. (I used peach preserves instead of apricot because that is what I had.) I had about half of it leftover and it did not look good with cream cheese bits mixed in with the cranberries. So I blended it all together, the cream cheese with the cranberries (in a food processor). It turned out delicious and was a pretty pink color. Next time I will make the recipe with half the cranberries blended into the cream cheese and pour the other half of the prepared cranberries over it.

instant hit! everyone is asking me for the recipe.

I followed the directions step by step and it turned out to be incredible!

I have not made this but want to try. The only thing is there are allergies to pecans. What would be good to substitute or can the pecans be optional. (I want to make one with pecans though!!!!)

Excellent appetizer, my husband loved it. I spread the cream cheese in a pie plate and put half the cranberry recipe on top. I also froze half the recipe and used it later.

Very good! I actually said forget the cream cheese and used this recipe as a straight up cranberry relish at the dinner table for Thanksgiving, everyone loved it.

I made this per the recipe to take to a party. It was really easy to make. There was more than enough to "frost" 16 ounces of cream cheese. The recipe makes more than needed and so we had extra so I tried it a day or so later with Brie and it was very good. Then we tried it over vanilla ice cream and it was also tasty. As suggested by someone else in a previous post, I may try making it using orange marmalade in place of the apricot jam just to see what happens.

This went over VERY well at the office Christmas party! I actually made some like the recipe said and some with some habanero jelly. Most liked the touch of spice better than the apricot version. Good!!

Eleven ladies came to my home to play Bunco last night. I made it the morning (night before, next time). It was vey easy to make. Beauty is you can make it ahead. Flavor was great and we all enjoyed it. Several Bunco Babes asked for the recipe.

I used orange marmelade rather than apricot jam. I baked for 45 min so the cranberries were very soft. I think it is a fabulous appetizer for the holidays.

My boyfriend absolutely loved this when I made it this past Christmas and has specifically requested for football games. I served it at our Superbowl party and it was gone by halftime. Everyone loved it.

I had to make a few changes, but overall the recipe was a smash hit. Our small town ran out of fresh cranberries, so I used the dried ones, then I grabbed the wrong preserves, and wound up using peach. that being the case everyone still loved it. I had some left over in a small bowl, and people ate it instead of cranberry sauce. thanks for the recipe.

People beg me to make this every year, either at the office holiday party or Christmas dinner. It is so easy and everyone LOVES it. I would not alter the recipe in any way!