Spooky Apple Dip Recipe

Spooky Apple Dip Recipe

Hello friends! Halloween is a knocking. It is the perfect time to whip up this Spooky Apple Dip recipe, featuring cream cheese, mini chocolate chips, Health Bar Bits, homemade caramel sauce**, and the secret ingredient Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread! Of course, the little candy eyes make this dish horrifyingly adorable.   

I don't know whether it is the inner child in me or the fact we have children (and their excitement over the years has excited us), but I have always been a sucker for party themes, themed food, theme decorations, etc., and Halloween is no exception. Our children always loved all the festive Halloween foods we would serve at our pre-Halloween celebration with family and friends.  

So, if you are looking for a quick and easy spooktacular Halloween treat and love caramel apples, this is the perfect dip to share at your next Halloween gathering. Serve it with sliced apples or even graham crackers, and you are good to go.

**Note: You could easily substitute store-bought caramel sauce if you're in a pinch, but homemade is easy and much better.

Enjoy, and Happy Halloween!

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Ingredients

• 1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese, room temperature

• 1/2 jar Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread

• 1 cup Homemade Caramel Sauce (you could use store bought but homemade is so much better!)

• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

• 1 cup Heath Bar Toffee bits (or your favorite toffee, crushed into small pieces)

• Candy “eyes” (We used Wilton candy eyes, we found at our local Michael’s, but they are available online as well.)

• Apple slices for dipping

Caramel Sauce Ingredients- Make this before assembling the spooky dip to allow the caramel to cool. For the full directions with pictures, please visit “How To Make Homemade Caramel Sauce” on our blog.

• 1 cup of brown sugar

• 6 Tablespoons (Tbsp.) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

• 1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half, room temperature

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) sea salt (if want salted caramel, add up to 1 tsp. salt- Kosher salt is fine too)

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (you could substitute your favorite liquor for an extra special adult treat…we won’t tell, but make sure to keep away from the kiddos)

Preparation for Caramel Sauce

The caramelization process happens quickly, so make sure all your ingredients are measured and in place before you begin. Start with a medium-sized stainless steel sauce pan (ceramic would work just fine too). Add the butter pieces to the pan, turn the heat on low, and gently stir the butter with a wooden spoon (you can use a whisk too) until it melts.

Once the butter has melted, add the sugar and continue to stir until the sugar has melted. (Sugar will be HOT! Trust me, and learn from my mistakes, do not be tempted to taste the caramel at any time, until it has cooled! Many sites I researched suggest having a bowl of cold water on hand in case of flying molten sugar. Yikes! Do not be afraid, but be safe.) As you are stirring, scrape the sugar that forms on the side with the spoon or a rubber spatula and incorporate into the mix.

Continue stirring constantly on low until all the sugar has dissolved and you have achieved a rich caramel color and a nutty aroma. Some of the butter may remain on the top. This is okay. It will incorporate once the half and half or cream is added. As the caramel comes to a rolling boil on low, continue rapidly stirring. Add salt and vanilla (or liquor) at this time. If you want salted caramel, then add an additional 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) of salt.

The last part is the cream or half and half. Add the cream slowly and stir stir stir! Again, be careful, this is where the caramel will get angry with you, as it will sputter and possibly throw molten sugar your way. You must prevail. I’m teasing… it really is very easy! Simply continue stirring rapidly until all the ingredients are incorporated. Remove the caramel from the heat and allow to cool. Turn off the stove. The caramel will thicken as it cools.

Preparation for Spooky Apple Dip

Combine the softened cream cheese and the apple butter spread in a medium bowl with a hand-held mixer and mix on medium-low speed until combined. With a spatula, spread the cream cheese mixture into a pie plate or shallow dish.

Once the caramel sauce has cooled and thickened, evenly pour it over the cream cheese mixture. Next, sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the caramel, followed by the toffee bits.

Carefully place the candy eyes on top and serve with apples for a spooktackular Halloween presentation.

Enjoy and Happy Halloween!

Herbed Antipasto Skewers Recipe

Herbed Antipasto Skewers Recipe

Today is World Tapas Day. These easy, herbed antipasto skewers are the perfect balance of flavor as a snack or appetizer and are fabulous for celebrating World Tapas Day! They take minutes to prepare, require no cooking, and can be made in advance, making entertaining a breeze.   

Are you unfamiliar with tapas? A tapa (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtapa]) is an appetizer or snack in Spanish cuisine, and it translates to a small portion of any Spanish food. Often served before a meal, tapas can include many tasty things, from olives and cheese to hams and seafood, cold or hot (https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/world-tapas-day/-).

Similar to the traditional Spanish tapas ingredients, the classic Italian version (antipasto) is a combination of olives, cheese, artichokes, marinated mushrooms or vegetables, and cured meats, and is the first course of an Italian meal. I chose kalamata and Spanish olives, marinated mozzarella balls, artisan salami, cherry tomatoes, and artichokes. However, any combination of meats and cheeses, cherry peppers, or pepperoncini would also be great. The flavorful vinaigrette, infused with Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz is the pièce de résistance of this appetizer.  

So whether you are celebrating World Tapas Day or are looking for a tasty appetizer or snack with little fuss, consider these herbed antipasto skewers. You will not be disappointed.

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below if you have tried this recipe. Return again for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

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Ingredients (Perfect for whatever ingredients you have on hand)

• Olives- your choice. I usually use a mixture of Kalamata and Spanish Olives

• Marinated Mozzarella cheese balls (1 inch balls)

• Cherry Tomatoes

• Canned artichoke hearts, drained

• Hard salami, cut into 1 inch chunks

• Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz

• Oilve Oil

• White Balsamic Vinegar

• Appetizer skewers

Preparation

The beauty of these skewers is they can be prepared in advance. Prepare the ingredients as directed above. For easy assembly, make sure all the ingredients are in place (mise en place). For these skewers, I started with a mozzarella ball, then an olive, cherry tomato, mozzarella ball, and finally the salami as the anchor.

Once the skewers are assembled, line them up on a shallow baking sheet. Drizzle first with the olive oil, then the balsamic vinegar, and then sprinkle the skewers with Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz.

Place in refrigerator for a couple of hours to overnight before you plan to use them. I like to serve them in mini appetizer cups for presentation and ease of cleanup. Or, you could arrange them on a pretty platter. Easy, peasy appetizers, sans the fuss.

Enjoy!

Champagne Bacon Deviled Eggs Recipe

Champagne Bacon Deviled Eggs Recipe

Happy National Egg Day! Yes, you heard me right, and as cliche as it may sound, “How do you like your eggs?” you have my permission to use any “eggcellent” cliches you want. Today is also the perfect day to “break out of your shell” (sorry) and create a new version of your favorite deviled eggs. Introducing Champagne Deviled Eggs With Bacon. I love trying new recipes and challenging my family’s palate with variations of their favorite dishes; however, I have never deviated from their favorite deviled egg recipe until today.

This version uses our award-winning Champagne Mustard, mayonnaise, chives, spices, and bacon and is a definite keeper for your recipe cache. 

So, grab some Champagne Mustard, make these delicious deviled eggs, and celebrate National Egg Day whenever you have a craving for deviled eggs.

Comment below and let us know if you made this recipe. Thank you for visiting, and please come back again for more tasty recipes.

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs at room temperature

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp.) Cherchies® Champagne Mustard or Cherchies® Hot Banana Pepper Mustard

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp.)

• Dijon mustard

• 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise

• 1/2 tsp. pepper

• 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives, reserving 1 Tbsp. for garnish (optional)

• 4 slices cooked bacon, chopped, reserving 1 slice to crumble as a garnish (optional)

Preparation:

Hard boil the eggs. (Look at our blog cooking tips- “Perfect Boiled Eggs”). Cool and shell the eggs.

Cut in half, remove the yolks and place them in a bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix until smooth. Spoon or pipe into egg whites.

Garnish with 1 slice of crumbled bacon and 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives.

Serve and enjoy!

Buttery Soft Philly Pretzels Recipe

Buttery Soft Philly Pretzels Recipe

This recipe was originally posted in 2015, but is updated with new pictures and procedures. Enjoy!

These delicious Philadelphia style soft pretzels are a buttery delight - and a hometown favorite! The yeast dough is easy to make and the pretzels are fun to roll and twist with the members of your family. The perfect boredom buster project.

Serve theses warm buttery pretzels with Cherchies® sweet and spicy Champagne Mustard, Cherchies® Hot Banana Pepper Mustard, or fruity and spicy Cherchies® Cranberry Mustard and you've got a real winner!

So what are you waiting for?

Comment below if you made these and let us know your thoughts. Thank you for visiting. Please stop by and visit again!

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups cool water

• 1 tbsp. sugar

• 2 tsp. kosher salt

• 2¼ tsp. instant yeast

• 22 oz. all-purpose flour (about 4½ cups)

• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter melted, cooled to about room temperature

• Olive oil, for greasing the bowl

For Finishing:

• Cooking spray

• 10 cups water

• 2/3 cup baking soda

• 1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tbsp. water

• Pretzel (or kosher) salt

• Cherchies® Hot Banana Pepper Mustard, Cherchies® Champagne Mustard, or Cherchies® Cranberry Mustard

Directions: 

For the dough, in a small bowl combine the water and yeast and let rest for about a minute. Add sugar and salt to the yeast mix.

In a large bowl combine flour, melted butter and yeast mixture. Knead mixture for about 5 minutes. You could also do this in a stand mixer fitted first with a paddle attachment to combine and then secondly with a dough hook on medium speed. Transfer the dough to a large bowl lightly greased with olive oil, turning the dough once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, about 90 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 450° F.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Bring the water and baking soda to a boil in a large saucepan or stockpot. In the meantime, divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll a segment out into a 24-inch long rope.

Make a u-shape with the rope and holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and onto the bottom of the u-shape in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 or 2 at a time, for 30 seconds. Remove from the water with a slotted skimmer and return to the baking sheet. Once all the pretzels have been boiled, brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Bake in the preheated oven until dark golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for about 5 minutes before serving, if you can keep people away for that long! Serve with Cherchies® Mustards.

Enjoy!