This Cranberry Bacon Cream Cheese Appetizer has the perfect combination of sweet and savory flavors, with yummy cream cheese, smoky bacon, sweet and tart cranberries, with some balsamic vinegar and coffee in the mix for extra flavor!
fresh parsley and cranberries for garnish as desired
crackers for serving
Instructions
In a medium saucepan, cook the bacon until nicely browned. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.
In bacon fat, cook the onions over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and cook about a minute until fragrant.
Add bacon back to the pan along with cranberries, ⅓ cup cranberry juice, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, coffee and red pepper flakes.
Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for about 15-20 minutes until thickened slightly -- there shouldn't be much excess grease when it is done cooking, so be sure not to cut this cook time too short. If there is a lot of excess, you can dab with a paper towel if desired. Set aside to cool to room temperature or refrigerate.
Whisk together 3 tablespoons cranberry juice and corn starch. Stir into sauce until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cream Cheese Appetizer
Unwrap cream cheese and place on a serving platter.
Spread cooled cranberry bacon topping over the top of the cream cheese and serve with crackers. (*Note: you can make ahead and refrigerate up to 1 day).
Notes
Ingredients and Substitutions:*There are not a lot of substitutions I can offer for this recipe because each change will affect the consistency and flavor of the topping. You don't want it to become too sticky and hard, or too runny.
Coffee: the coffee helps to balance out the flavors and the sweetness. You can omit if you prefer and swap with water.
Cream cheese: you can easily use light or dairy-free cream cheese instead.
Storage:
Store: You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or so. If you aren't planning on serving it straight away, store the cream cheese block and the topping seperately. Top the cream cheese and garnish just before serving.
Freeze: I wouldn't recommend freezing the cream cheese block, though you can prep the bacon cranberry topping ahead of time and freeze it for up to 1 month. Let it defrost fully, and reheat it to thicken it again if needed. Then, let it cool before adding it to the top of the fresh cream cheese block and serve.