Pumpkin Pie Dip Recipe for the Holidays
Enjoy Apples or Gingersnap Cookies with This Festive Holiday Dip
Nov 8, 2008
Pumpkins take center stage in October with Halloween, but pumpkin dishes are popular throughout the holiday season. It’s a rare person who has not had pumpkin pie some time during November or December.
Pumpkins are often thought of as vegetables (big ones certainly – ranging in size from less than a pound to over 1000 pounds), but pumpkins are actually fruits as noted by the University of Illinois Extension Service. The name pumpkin, says the Extension Service, orginates from the word “pepon” which is Greek for “large melon.” Although the name suggests a melon, cooking and using pumpkin is more along the lines of working with winter squash.
Most home cooks today buy canned pumpkin or pumpkin pie filling, although it’s fine to make pumpkin puree from scratch. Pumpkin puree can be used in recipes calling for canned pumpkin but not for those calling for pumpkin pie filling. There really is a big difference. If you make your own pumpkin puree, then you’ll need to make pumpkin pie filling before using the fresh pumpkin as a replacement for pumpkin pie filling.
Pumpkin Dip is a quick and easy recipe using canned pumpkin pie filling. In just a few minutes, you have a wondeful holiday dip with very little work.
Holiday Pumpkin Dip Reipce
Ingredients:
- 1 can of pumpkin pie filling (15 ounce size)
- 1 package of cream cheese (8 ounce size)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (ground cinnamon in the spice section)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground Ginger (also in the spice section)
Directions:
- Mix the canned pumpkin pie filling with the cream cheese. Use an electric or stand mixer and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Stir or mix in the cinnamon and ginger. The amounts can be adjusted to taste. Some cooks like the dip spicier. Use the suggested measurements as a base. Also note that flavors settle and become stronger as dips sit, so don’t overdo it.
- Chill the pumpkin pie dip for an hour or more in a closed container.
- Serve with sliced apples or gingersnap cookies. Guests may also enjoy the pumpkin dip with pretzels, broccoli or other dippers, but the apples and cookies are traditional in the South.
Other Favorite Pumpkin Recipes:Southern Pumpkin Pie Recipe - If you have your own pumpkin puree, then you can use the base mix for the pie (but ditch the crust) for the pumpkin filling in a can to make the pumpkin dip. The amount for homemade pumpkin pie mix is around 1 3/4 cups of your own filling to equal the 15 ounce can size.
Then again, you can just buy canned pumpkin for your Southern Pumpkin Pie and get the pumpkin pie filling for your dip.
Pumpkin Soup Recipe - Start you holiday dinner off with a tasty pumpkin soup. This is a nice basic recipe. You can dress it up with your own flavors.
Pumpkin Cookies - Some readers have requested this one. You only need one cup of pumpkin for this recipe, so if you have some left over, this is a good one so as not to waste your healthy and tasty pumpkin.
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