Cranberry Goat Cheese – Whipped Cranberry Goat Cheese Spread

There is nothing prettier right now than this cranberry goat cheese!

I mean, guys. I made us a pink appetizer for Thanksgiving! And basically the rest of the holiday season. This is IT! No more searching for the snack you have to make for that party. 2018 is the year of the signature pink snack. I’m calling it right now. 

If something is pink, I will eat it. My festive recipe brain is working overtime because I want everything to look over-the-top holidayish. This is what kids have done to my brain. Fried it. And spread it with cranberry goat cheese.

MY OTHER RECIPES

I’m no stranger to whipped goat cheese, even if I often prefer whipped feta instead. Both are so freaking good.

But I should just say that I enjoy whipped cheese. That’s what it is. Whip all the cheese and I’ll eat it.

This is the easiest (and prettiest?!) Thanksgiving appetizer. It’s such a gorgeous shade of pink and I’m obsessed because you can make it ahead of time, have it out as an appetizer or even use it as a spread for the dinner rolls on your holiday table. Amazing idea, right?

The other great thing is that you can use a touch of cranberry sauce instead of the cranberry mixture below if you wish. I made some bursting cranberries with pomegranate juice and a touch of lemon. Whipped that all together with the goat cheese in the food processor to create my whipped goat cheese dream spread. It’s creamy, slightly sweet, tart and tangy all at the same time.

When you spread it on a cracker (get the really seedy ones!) or baguette, it’s like a cloud of whipped cheese. Fluffy. Creamy. Delicious!

You could make a small bruschetta or cracker board with this spread and have a separate bowl of pomegranate arils that can be sprinkled on the toasts. It’s such a festive snack.

You just have to invite me.

Whipped Cranberry Goat Cheese

Whipped Cranberry Goat Cheese Spread

Yield: serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer

Total Time:35 minutes

This whipped cranberry goat cheese spread is the perfect holiday appetizer! You can make it ahead of time and serve it with a cheese board or bread and crackers – before or during the meal! Plus it’s super pretty too!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar, honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
• 1 (11 ounce) goat cheese log, softened
• a pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate arils, for garnish
• fresh rosemary for garnish
• bread, crackers and/or chips for serving

Directions:

Place the cranberries, pom juice, sugar and lemon zest in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Cook until the cranberries are simmering and breaking down. You want them to be completely broken down and sort of thick and saucy, about 10 or so minutes. Transfer it to a bowl. Let the mixture cool completely.

In the bowl of your food processor, pulse the goat cheese until it starts to come together. Turn the processor on and let it blend and whip the goat cheese until smooth. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and pulse. Scrape in the cranberry sauce mixture and pulse a few more times so everything gets combined. You can blend it completely so it’s smooth or you can leave it a little chunky.

Transfer the spread to a jar or bowl. At this point, you could cover/seal it and keep it in the fridge overnight before serving. Otherwise, serve it garnished with pomegranate arils, fresh rosemary and with crackers and bread for spreading. Delicious!

All images and text ©How Sweet Eats.

This is basically like eating a food decoration because it’s SO PRETTY.