Fruit and Horseradish Cream Cheese Appetizer Spread Slow Cooker Recipe

I'm not a foodie. I am perfectly happy with a can of EZ Cheese and a bag of Tostitos Scoops pretty much always. 

But.

Some of my friends are slightly more sophisticated than this and would prefer to steer clear from cheese in a can (I know, I know, they're missing out...)

so.

Save the canned cheese for another occasion and instead wow your friends with a terribly easy yet pretty-darn-impressive spread that you made all by yourself in your very own slow cooker.

The Ingredients.
serves 8

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 tablespoon jarred horseradish
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup dried cranberries (the mini boxes are perfect!)
crackers or salted corn chips for serving

The Directions.

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Unwrap the cream cheese and put it into your cooker. Top with the horseradish and preserves. Pour in the dried cranberries. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours, or on high for 1-2. Serve with your favorite crackers (I used plain rice crackers, if you're gluten free, the Nut Thins by Blue Diamond are great, too) or corn chips. Pita chips (obviously not GF) would be good, too!

If you do not have a 2-quart slow cooker, that's okay! Put an oven safe dish directly into the stoneware insert--something like this or this or this. Then load your dip ingredients into it. Use oven mitts when removing the dish!

The Verdict.

These ingredients sound *so* wonky, but I promise they melt together into a really savory dip with a sweet kick from the cranberries and apricot jam. My kids ate kind of a lot more than I expected them to, and Adam and my grandma really enjoyed it.


I'm off to BlogHer Food for the weekend. I don't expect to find many cans of EZ Cheese... :-)

more fun dips:

Guess what's new at BlogHer? Today, we're learning to decode your teen's texting lingo and how to dissuade bullying, gossip, and all around bad phone etiquette. There are five discussions happening and every comment left equals a $0.50 donation to DoSomething.org. What are your thoughts on teen texting/cell phone use? Share your thoughts, feelings, and opinions!
I am helping to promote this program because BlogHer is paying me GREAT GOBS OF MONEY to do so, and I  : 1) like BlogHer,  2) like money, and 3) DoSomething.org is a worthwhile organization that helps teens start or find a social cause and then go DO SOMETHING about it. win-win-win!!


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Posted by: Stephanie O'Dea | A Year of Slow Cooking at October 07, 2010

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What they say about this article

  1. I love that you used the word 'wonky'. :)

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  2. Anonymous10/07/2010

    Sounds delicious! I have a tiny crockpot that came with my big one... this looks like the perfect recipe to try it out!

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  3. Anonymous10/07/2010

    I am a fan of cheese in a can, as well. My husband introduced me to the most amazing combination EVER when we were in college....cheeze whiz and OREOS!! Oh, yes! I know it sounds disgusting, but it actually tastes like chocolate cheesecake....no joke!!!

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  4. Anonymous10/07/2010

    That sounds excellent. I'd love to make this one Saturday afternoon to munch on while watching the Food Network. HA!

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  5. Anonymous10/07/2010

    Stephanie,
    Have you ever thought about including a rating system for your recipes? Quite a few people leave comments about their results but it might be easier for us to see how many stars (or whatever symbol may be appropriate for a crockpot recipe!) each recipe earned. I know I would love an easier way to sort through your extensive index and although alphabetical works and searching using a keyword gets me halfway there what I'm really searching for each and every time is a recipe that tastes good. Bottom line. 5 out of 5 stars. Just some food for thought! Thanks for blogging!

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  6. Wow! I can't believe this dip was made from a crock pot! How awesome! It looks delicious.

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  7. I make an appetizer dish similar to this but in the oven. I'm sure you could easily do this in a slow cooker. Instead of cream cheese I use brie cheese, then top with apricot preserves (or apricot pie filling) mixed with a dash of hot sauce. Then I top it with crumbled/shopped walnuts. Usually served on french bread but can also be good on some gluten free substitutes. Yummmm!!!

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  8. We had our supper club last weekend, and I was in charge of the appetizer, so I brought this one. Everyone devoured it! Not much left at the end of the night. I served it with table water crackers.

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  9. reader9/19/2012

    I've been exploring your website - this was the first recipe I've tried and it is really fantastic. I made it for a work event and it was a big hit. I've also been more encouraged to experiment more with my crockpot, and it's my new favorite way to make a batch of chicken breasts for a week of salads. (No annoying Foreman grill clean up and doesn't heat up the house like the oven.) Thanks!!

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