Great Party Desserts Can Be Easy
Now that warmer weather is around the corner, crickets will soon start to sing at night, outdoor furniture will be uncovered, and patio lights will glow through the night. Once that time of year hits, hosting dinner parties is one of my favorite ways to gather friends and family to reconnect and create memories. But if you’ve ever hosted a dinner party, you know it requires attention to detail and time management. That’s especially true when your guest list grows, or unexpected plus ones (or twos) arrive. So to save yourself time and reduce stress, simple recipes will be your best friend. One of my favorite no-bake desserts to serve is a homemade cream cheese dessert dip. You’ll love how quick this dip is to make and how easy dessert platters are to customize if you have guests with allergies.
Why This Cream Cheese Dessert Dip is a Party Staple
As the host of a dinner party, one of the challenges you may face is to create a menu with guest allergies and dietary preferences in mind. Adding a cream cheese dessert dip platter to your party spread lets you offer a simple dish that’s easy to customize should any guest have allergies. For the safest bet, pineapple, melons, berries, and grapes are among my favorite combinations to pair with the dip. A fruit platter provides a naturally sweet dessert for those who want to avoid more decadent options. Because fruit does not contain gluten or nuts, cross-contamination from dipping platter items isn’t a concern. For those with a dairy allergy, you can assemble a separate bowl of fruit without dip to be safe. You will only need four simple ingredients, though you may want to warn your guests that it’s addictive.
Cream Cheese Dessert Dip Ingredients
- Cream cheese provides the flavor and silkiness of the dip. To help make mixing the dip easier, allow the cream cheese to soften at room temperature for about a half hour before mixing.
- Powdered sugar sweetens the cream cheese for a more dessert-like flavor. You can adjust the amount of sugar added if you’d like, but you may need to adjust the amount of cream added.
- Heavy cream helps to thin the dip and make dipping fruit easier. You can tweak the amount added to create the desired thickness, especially if you adjust the powdered sugar.
- Vanilla extract adds a subtle amount of flavor to the dip. Add a tablespoon or two of unsweetened cocoa powder for a chocolate flavor. Add the cocoa in small amounts and try the dip before adding more. The taste can become bitter if adding too much cocoa.
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Soften the cream cheese at room temperature for about a half hour. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Whisk until no clumps of sugar remain.
- Add the softened cream cheese to the sugar and cream. Fold the cream cheese in until egvenly mixed.
- Chill the dip in a fridge for at least two hours before serving.
Notes
- You can add a tablespoon or two of unsweetened cocoa powder for a chocolate flavor. Add the cocoa in small amounts and try the dip before adding more. The flavor can become bitter if adding too much cocoa.
- Nutrition facts are calculated by WP Recipe Maker using an AI generator. Nutrition information will vary based on the brands and ingredients selected. The nutrition information is a general guide.
Nutrition
Choosing A Platter
If you often host parties, consider investing in a reusable serving platter. Pre-made platters at the grocery store save time, but they limit your ability to choose ingredients, and the plastic isn’t helping the environment. Creating your platters with a reusable tray will save you money and lower your carbon footprint. One of my favorite platters I’ve used is made by Sweese and is available on Amazon. It comes with five serving compartments that fit inside a base tray. The base can also be used as a serving tray for cakes, tarts, or a charcuterie board! The design is simple, with a neutral color matching most decors year-round.
Cream Cheese Dessert Dip Platter Inspiration
One of my favorite parts about creating platters is having fun and thinking outside the box when choosing items to dip. Fresh and dried fruits always pair well with a cream cheese dessert dip, providing guests with more nutritious options. The bakery and grocery aisles are filled with dipping potentials for more savory or sweet options. You can always mix and match sweet and savory options for the ultimate grazing platter. Use the table below for some ideas to get started on your next dessert platter creation!
Fresh and Dried Fruits
- Apple slices
- Banana chips
- Berries
- Figs (fresh or dried)
- Grapes
- Mango
- Melon cubes
- Pear slices
- Pineapple
Baked Goods and Snacks
You will find lots of inspiration in the bakery section and grocery aisles for platter inclusions. The cracker and cookie aisle are filled with potential. Items flavored with cinnamon, vanilla, honey, and chocolate all work well. Things you can include are:
- Brownies
- Cannoli shells
- Cinnamon twists
- Cookie chunks
- Graham crackers
- Pocky sticks
- Pretzels
- Vanilla wafers
- Waffle cones
If you have guests with allergies, read the ingredients panel carefully to ensure there aren’t potential risks. If there are, choose a different item or consider creating a second allergen-free platter. Place the platters on opposite ends of a table, and use labels so guests know which platter is which. Adding allergen labels and spacing items apart can help prevent a dip from becoming contaminated if an allergen is scooped into the dip.
Storage and Serving Tips
- Cream cheese dessert dip can be refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to a week from the day made.
- This dip can also be frozen in an air-tight freezer-save container for up to 3 months. However, the consistency may be thicker after thawing. If this happens, you can thin the dip with small amounts of heavy cream until the desired thickness is reached.
- The food safety element is essential to remember when serving a cream cheese dip at a party. The dip cannot be left out of refrigeration for long because of the dairy ingredients. If the dip is left at room temperature for two hours or more, it should be thrown away. If outdoors on a hot summer day, I shorten that time to an hour.
- To keep the dip colder longer, fill a bowl or serving dish with ice. Crushed ice is best as cubes have more air gaps in between and will melt faster. Then, press a serving dish into the crushed ice and fill it with dip. Replenish the ice when needed and ensure the temperature remains at or below 41ºF.
- To help prevent food waste, serve smaller portions and refrigerate the remaining dip. Then, as the dip runs low, you can top refill a clean serving container with the refrigerated dip.
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