Snacks Part 2- The Sweet Variety

I have a very unnecessary love for cream cheese in recipes. In fact, I will try just about any recipe I find with cream cheese. So when I was looking for sweet dips I was ecstatic to find another blog via pinterest that had 3 simple cream-cheese based sweet dip recipes (http://www.theyummylife.com/blog/2010/10/68/3+Easy+Dip+Recipes--Pumpkin+Pie,+Caramel,+&+Peanut+Butter). I was also dying to make some apple butter. This was partly because I wanted left-overs for myself and to give away :) I think all 4 dips turned out great, but my favorites were definitely pumpkin cream cheese dip and apple butter! I've been using apple butter on bread, in my oatmeal, and sometimes by itself all week- it's been glorious. I really enjoyed making all the dips for the house-warming and I now have an entire arsenal of dips to create at a moments notice for other social gatherings. I used graham crackers and Fuji apples for dipping.

Caramel Cream Cheese Dip

Ingredients

· 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese (low fat works fine)

· 3/4 cup dark brown sugar

· 1 teaspoon vanilla

· toffee bits for garnish (optional)

Directions

Combine ingredients and mix in food processor or with electric mixer. Process/mix until well combined. Chill before serving, or eat it right away.

Pumpkin Pie Cream Cheese Dip

Ingredients

· 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened (light cream cheese works fine)

· 3/4 cup dark brown sugar

· 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (plain, not flavored)

· 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (View recipe for making your own pumpkin pie spice at: www.theyummylife.com/recipes/24)

· 1 teaspoon vanilla

· 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans for garnish (optional)

Directions

--With Food Processor: Add all ingredients (except nuts) to bowl of food processor. Process until well combined.
--With Electric Mixer: Combine cream cheese and brown sugar in a large bowl. Mix until well combined. Add pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
--Store in fridge until ready to serve. Garnish top with chopped pecans, if desired.

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Dip

Ingredients

· 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened (light cream cheese works fine)

· 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

· 1/2 cup peanut butter

· 1/4 cup honey

· 1 teaspoon vanilla

· chopped peanuts for garnish (optional)

Directions

--For Food Processor: Add all ingredients (except nuts) to bowl of food processor. Process until well combined.
--For Electric Mixer: Combine cream cheese and brown sugar in a large bowl. Mix until well combined. Add peanut butter, honey, and vanilla, mix well combined.
--Make it ahead and chill in fridge, or eat it right away. Garnish the top with chopped peanuts, if desired.

Apple Butter

Ingredients

· 3 pounds apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped [I used red delicious]

· 1 cup sugar [use 1.5-2 cups if you use a tarter apple]

· 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

· 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

· 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix well.

2. Cover and cook on high 30 minutes.

3. Reduce heat to low and cook 5 hours [I cooked for 8 hours] , stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.

4. Uncover and continue cooking on low 30 minutes. Stir with a whisk, if desired, to increase smoothness.

5. Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate or freeze.