After experimenting in the kitchen with a new apple galette, I realized I had some whipped cream cheese with sugar and vanilla left over. And of course I can’t let that go to waste. It would be just wrong of me, right? So I dug in my cabinets and came up with this Cherry Lemon Cheesecake Dip based on ingredients I had on hand like lemon pudding and cherry pie filling. This cheesecake dip is a perfect appetizer or dessert year round. For the holidays, consider switching out the lemon for white chocolate or french vanilla for a beautiful red and white color scheme. Chocolate would also work well. I found the cherry and lemon together to be a refreshing combination, but blueberry pie filling with the lemon would also be delicious, don’t you think?
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 box (3oz) instant lemon pudding
- 1 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1½ cups cherry pie filling
- additional graham crackers, cookies or pretzels
- In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, pudding, milk, vanilla, and sugar until well blended.
- Add graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of a 3 cup serving bowl.
- Gently spread cream cheese mixture over crumbs.
- Top with cherry pie filling.
- Serve immediately with additional graham cracker, cookies or pretzel. (You can also store in refrigerator until ready to serve.)
I found dip is easier to eat when served immediately after making it, but you can definitely prepare in advance and let it warm up a bit before serving.
Serve with extra graham crackers, cookies or even pretzels. Yum! I served mine just with graham crackers because it was all I had on hand. I would have loved to try it with some vanilla wafers.
Sometimes the best recipes are those you never planned to make in the first place.
Gwen Watson says
December 1, 2015 at 4:16 pmThis cheesecake dip is a nice alternative to regular cheesecake. You can use it to dip fruit, graham crackers, and even chocolate! It is also a fun alternative to traditional desserts.