It’s fall and that means it’s pumpkin time. Recipes featuring pumpkin are around every corner. I’ve even tried a few tasty ones myself. Here’s just another to add to the mix, a popular pumpkin dip that beckons for gingersnaps, apples or pears. This recipe has been around the block a few times and since I flock to simple, but tasty recipes, this pumpkin dip has remained a keeper in my go to list.

I don’t recall who first told me about it but it was a friend at a party. Most of my favorite appetizer recipes are discovered like that. You’re standing around at a party, dipping away (no double dipping), as the recipe is shared, scratched down on a napkin or stored away in the recesses of your mind. Thank goodness it didn’t get lost in my mind somewhere in and amongst all of the clutter.

All you need is cream cheese, pumpkin, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and ground ginger. I’ve made it with both brown sugar and confectioners/powdered sugar before but I prefer the brown sugar. Also I’ve found using a food processor (my small Cuisinart one is perfect for this and other dips – I use it all the time) to soften the cream cheese improves the texture instead of doing it by hand.

So I start with the cream cheese in the food processor, pulse a few times until the cream cheese is smooth, then add in all other ingredients, except the pumpkin, and blend well. You could stop right now and it would be mighty good but we need to add something healthy. So, in a separate bowl empty the blended cream cheese mixture to the pumpkin puree and mix well. That’s all. You’re done. Just make sure to refrigerate until served. As I said before, it’s scrumptious with gingersnaps, apples or pears.

(A little secret…I use fat free cream cheese. I don’t think anyone can tell the difference, and that helps make this dip pretty low cal and packed with fiber and beta-carotene.)

Pumpkin Dip Recipe
(makes about 3 cups)

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. cream cheese (again, I used fat free or reduced fat – who knew?)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree

Directions:

- In a food processor (or in a bowl by hand) pulse the cream cheese until smooth.

- Add next 4 ingredients (lt. brown sugar, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon) to food processor and blend well.

- Empty cream cheese mixture into a bowl, add the pumpkin puree and mix well.

- Refrigerate until served.

Enjoy!

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