Recipe Swap: Pumpkin Pie Dip

Part of the reason I love participating in recipe swaps is that I am forced (for lack of a better word) to try recipes that I probably wouldn't have chosen myself. Admittedly, I wasn't quite looking forward to this one. Last fall, I had a bagel with pumpkin cream cheese, and it was really disgusting. Slimy, too much straightforward pumpkin flavor (imagine eating pumpkin puree straight out of the can).

Wow, was I pleasantly surprised with this! This recipe will definitely be making repeat appearances. It's sweet and spicy, and delicious! It made much more than the two people in my household would be able to eat (without getting a stomachache), so I brought the dip in to work with a box of vanilla wafers. It was quite popular! One box of vanilla wafers wasn't enough for the amount of dip this recipe makes. 

Store this dip in the refrigerator. Feel free to adjust the spices listed according to your taste. And what better way to serve pumpkin dip than in a hollowed-out sugar pumpkin? The one pictured is 1.7 pounds, from Whole Foods. 

Pumpkin Pie Dip
From The Cooking Nurse's blog

Ingredients

• ½ cup (4 ¾ oz) pumpkin puree
• 1 (8 oz) brick ⅓-less-fat cream cheese at room temperature
• 2 cups (8 oz) confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on low speed until sugar is incorporated, then beat on medium until well-blended. 

Serving Suggestions: Vanilla wafer cookies, gingersnap cookies, graham crackers, apple slices