Macheesmo

I really love cream cheese. The standard application on a bagel is one of my favorite quick breakfasts, but there are so many other things you can do with the stuff. It can be very versatile: sometimes sweet or savory depending on the application.

Since it’s appetizer season (football! parties!) I thought I would give three really quick and easy cream cheese appetizers you could bring to a party that would be delicious.

Let’s get started.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pinwheels

Sun-Dried Tomato Pinwheels

by Nick

Serves:

64 pinwheels

Prep Time:

10 mins

Total Time:

10 mins

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Quick pinwheels with basil, sun-dried tomato, and cream cheese. Perfect make-ahead appetizer!

Ingredients

4 large plain flour tortillas

8 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup sun-dried tomato

2 - 3 Tablespoons chopped basil

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic

2 Tablespoons shallot or onion

Instructions

1. Add sun-dried tomato, olive oil, basil, garlic, and onion to a small food processor. Pulse until it’s in a paste. You can also just chop everything.
2. Stir together with softened cream cheese.
3. Spread mixture evenly between four tortillas. Roll tortillas and slice with a serrated knife.

If making in advance, keep the pinwheels whole and slice right before serving.

These are fantastic little finger foods that would be great to bring to a party. In fact, I took these to a book club and they were a pretty big hit.

These guys store really well and they are great snack food for a lazy weekend. The prep is super-easy. Just chop up or lightly pulse all the ingredients in a food processor, stir the mixture into your cream cheese and then spread it on your tortilla. You want a pretty thin layer of the cheese mixture because when you roll it up you want the same thickness of cheese and tortilla layers.

I cut my pinwheels pretty thick and I ended up with 8 pinwheels per tortilla.

These are one of my favorite quick and easy appetizers. Once you get the technique down you can mix all kinds of other stuff in the cream cheese.

NEXT:

Baked Hot Crab Dip

This is a quick and savory dip with a cream cheese base. Awesome for a cold winter day.

Baked Hot Crab Dip

by Nick

Serves:

Serves 4

Prep Time:

10 mins

Total Time:

45 mins

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A perfect baked dip for game day! Old Bay lovers, unite!

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese

6 ounces canned crab meat

1 Tablespoon garlic, finely minced

2 Tablespoons chopped scallions

1 Tablespoon Half and Half

1 Teaspoon horseradish

1 Teaspoon Worcestershire

2 Teaspoons Old Bay (plus some for sprinkling)

Bread or tortilla chips, for serving

Instructions

1. Chop up your veggies, add your cream cheese and all your other ingredients. Mix it up well in a bowl. Just use a fork. Fold in the crab delicately.
2. Transfer mixture to an oiled oven-safe casserole dish and sprinkle with more old bay. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes.
3. Serve with crunchy bread or tortilla chips.

Chop up your veggies, add your cream cheese and all your other ingredients. Mix it up well in a bowl. Just use a fork. Try to be delicate with the crab meat. The more chunky you can keep it the better.

Put this in an oven proof bowl, sprinkle completely with more Old Bay and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

I like to serve this dip with a good baguette, but any good cracker or tortilla chips would work also.

NEXT:

Amazing Cheesecake Brownies

I made these to show off the sweet side of cream cheese which you probably are familiar with if you’ve ever had cheesecake.

Also, I don’t recommend using boxed brownies for this recipe. Once you have the real deal it is hard to go back.

Cheesecake Brownies

by Nick

Serves:

8x8 baking dish

Prep Time:

15 mins

Cook Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

50 mins

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A decadent and delicious brownie recipe swirled with cream cheese.

Adapted from a How to Cook Everything recipe.

Ingredients

Brownie Mixture

8 Tablespoons butter

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

Cheesecake Filling

4 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make the cheesecake filling first by beating the cream cheese until it is fluffy, probably 3 minutes. Beat in your sugar and egg and continue to beat until it is smooth and rich.
2. For the brownie mixture, chop up your chocolate and put it in a medium saucepan with the butter on low heat. You want the butter and chocolate almost melted, but not entirely melted. Then turn off the heat and keep stirring. It will melt completely on its own.
3. Pour your chocolate mixture into a bowl and mix it with the sugar, eggs, flour and salt (in that order). Mix in the dry ingredients slowly and make sure they are well incorporated.
4. Pour half of your brownie mixture into an 8×8 baking pan (greased!) and then add all of your cream cheese filling. Spread it out over an even layer and then top it with the rest of your brownie mixture. Use a knife to swirl it and make it all pretty.
5. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. and then let cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. The brownies will set up as they cool.

 

Make the cheesecake filling first by beating the cream cheese until it is fluffy, probably 3 minutes. Beat in your sugar and egg and continue to beat until it is smooth and rich.

For the brownie mixture, chop up your chocolate and put it in a medium saucepan with the butter on low heat. You want the butter and chocolate almost melted, but not entirely melted. Then turn off the heat and keep stirring. It will melt completely on its own and not burn.

Pour your chocolate mixture into a bowl and mix it with the sugar, eggs, flour and salt (in that order). Mix in the dry ingredients slowly and make sure they are well incorporated.

Pour half of your brownie mixture in your pan (greased!) and then add all of your cream cheese filling. Spread it out over an even layer and then top it with the rest of your brownie mixture. Use a knife to swirl it and make it all pretty.

Bake this guy for 30 minutes at 350. It might not look set all of the way but once it cools it will continue to harden and set nicely. The rule with brownies is undercooked is better than overcooked any day.

If you liked these recipes, I’d love it if you used the below links to pass along the post to others. Thanks and happy holidays!