This one is actually food for next Friday – this is a fun treat to serve your Valentine ~ a sweet cream cheese heart for cookie dipping. If you don’t have a heart-shaped mold, you can easily fashion a heart by hand ~ give it your own style.
Chocolate Peppermint Pecan Cream Cheese Heart (yes, you figured me out, I don’t really have a name for this one!)
"Places in the Heart," by Charming Tails
1 C milk chocolate chips
1 C peppermint candies
1 C pecan halves or pieces
In a food processor, chop each item to small-crumb size. Mix all three ingredients together in a sealed container.
Bring one 8 oz. block of cream cheese to room temperature. Process til creamy in a food processor, then blend in 3/4 cup to one cup of the chocolate/peppermint/pecan mixture. Press the mixture into a heart-shaped container lined with cling wrap or some material to help release the cheese mixture. Chill well. When ready to serve, turn your cream cheese heart out onto a plate, dust with powdered sugar, cocoa powder, red hots, or a mixture of your choice. Decorate the plate with message hearts. Serve with a selection of wafer cookies ~ chocolate, ginger, and lemon all work really well with these flavors.
Store the extra chocolate-peppermint-nuts mix in a sealed container in the fridge. It will keep for quite a while, and you can mix up a sweet cream cheese ball or heart very quickly for your next party.
I have also added a drop or two of red food coloring to the cream cheese to give it an even more festive color. Surprise your sweetie and your guests with this sweet cream cheese snack!
~Janet @ The Christmas Place
