Finger foods. Heavy hor d’oeuvres. Whatever you want to call them. I really like them. I mean, I really like them.
And they are one of my favorite things about the holidays! While Christmas cookies are divine, nothing compares to all the savory goodies that adorn holiday party tables.
Christmas time is the only time of the year I feel free to indulge in my bite-sized favorites, like sausage balls, meat pies, mushroom caps, all those little sandwiches, and dips. Oh, the dips! Glorious dips! Dips for veggies, dips for chips, dips for crackers! Are there dips for dip? I’m not really all that choosy. I just like to dip.
So when I started concocting this little number, I (not to mention The Engineer who plopped down on a stool with crackers in hand and proclaimed that he could eat it all day, everyday) was in holiday dipping heaven.
Served straight from the skillet, warm and melted with a little kick and topped with those wonderfully red Christmas-time cranberries, this cast iron creation can be scooped with crackers, Melba toast, pita chips, chunks of hot bread, even pecans. Rustic, yet oh-so perfect for every table, Southern Cranberry & Cheddar Skillet Dip is a gorgeously easy must-have for your next holiday gathering.
Southern Cranberries & Cheddar Skillet Dip
Ingredients
- 12 oz. whole fresh cranberries
- 1 C granulated sugar
- 1 small orange
- 2 tablespoon water
- ½ jalapeño, finely diced
- 1 C chopped pecans
- 4 oz jalapeño pimento cheese
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 4 oz grated mild cheddar
- 2 tablespoon minced onion
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Process
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a medium skillet or saucepan, add 12 oz. cranberries, 1 C sugar, 2 tablespoon water, and finely diced jalapeños. Slice the orange in half and squeeze juice over cranberries. If some pulp happens to fall in, that’s good too!
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until berries burst and juice thickens. Just look at those cranberries. One of the prettiest foods to cook, don’t you think?
While your berries are cooking down, mix the rest of the ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Add the garlic salt last so you can add to taste.
Spoon the cheese mixture into a small 8 inch cast iron skillet. Use a spoon to make a hollow in the center.
Fill the hollow with your cranberries and garnish with several thin jalapeño slices. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.
Serve warm in the skillet with pretty much anything you want to scoop this out with. I’m kind of fond of pita chips or whole grain crackers.
A big thanks to Debbie Hussey who helped me iron out the finer points of this yummy cheese. Check out Debbie’s home as she shares her advice on home and hospitality when we take ASD’s Holiday Hospitality Home Tour later this week!
Southern Cranberry & Cheddar Skillet Dip
Ingredients
- • 12 oz. whole fresh cranberries
- • 1 C granulated sugar
- • 1 small orange
- • 2 tablespoon water
- • ½ jalapeño finely diced
- • 1 C chopped pecans
- • 4 oz jalapeño pimento cheese
- • 4 oz cream cheese
- • 4 oz grated mild cheddar
- • 2 tablespoon minced onion
- • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- • ¼-1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium skillet or saucepan, add 12 oz. cranberries, 1 C sugar, 2 tablespoon water, and finely diced jalapeños. Slice the orange in half and squeeze juice over cranberries.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until berries burst and juice thickens.
- While your berries are cooking down, mix the rest of the ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.
- Spoon the cheese mixture into a small 8 inch cast iron skillet. Use a spoon to make a hollow in the center.
- Fill the hollow with your cranberries and garnish with several thin jalapeño slices. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.
Notes
Need more Farmhouse?
A Southern Blog Collective has another blog hop for you! Check out “It’s An Easy Farmhouse Christmas” for a quick mason jar lid ornament and a cute ruffled tree skirt how-to, plus free printable gift tags!. The links below have it all!
The Ruffled Mango
McCall Manor
Diane & Dean DIY
O.K., now that I’ve read the ingredients list, I absolutely must make this ASAP! I wish I had some for breakfast, to be honest with you. 😉
Also! I forgot to say that you and I are also two peas in a pod about savories at Christmastime! 😉 Dips are The Best!
Ha! I would say that this is starting to get scary if I didn’t like how similar we are so darn much! We really must be soul sisters, my friend! This recipe is truly one of my new favorites. And I really do have to thank my wonderful friend, Debbie Hussey for helping me get the cheese just right!
I literally just screamed with glee in my head as I read the headline to this blog entry.