Flavored Cream Cheese Recipes

If you love the flavored cream cheeses you get at your local bakery or restaurant, you will love these recipes. You will be surprised how easy it is to make your own flavored cream cheese for bagels, muffins or breads. Best of all, you can control exactly what goes into these delicious spreads.

Just after college, I discovered bagels with flavored cream cheese at several local bakeries. It did not take long before I was hooked. Not long after that, I discovered flavored cream cheese at the grocery store that I could enjoy at home. At some point, though, the local grocery store stopped carrying my favorite flavored cream cheese. I began to experiment with making my own flavored cream cheese at home, and these recipes are the fruit of that labor. I was actually surprised to find that the spreads created at home tasted better and fresher than their store-bought counterparts.

To make these flavored cream cheese recipes, empty the contents of one eight ounce package of cream cheese into the bowl of a food processor. Add sugars, spices, extracts, pumpkin, fruits and/or jams to the bowl, and process mixture until smooth. Stir in any additional fruits or nuts, and transfer mixture to an airtight container.

Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese

Process:
• 8 oz. package of cream cheese (or Neufchatel cheese)
• 1/4 cup canned apple pie filling, such as Lucky Leaf Apple Pie Filling
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Stir in:
• Optional Ingredients: 1-2 apple pieces from can of apple pie filling, chopped into small pieces and/or 1/4 cup of raisins

Honey Walnut Cream Cheese

Process:
• 8 oz. package of cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons Honey

Stir in:
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Cinnamon Raisin Cream Cheese

Process:
• 8 oz. package of cream cheese
• Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Stir in:
• 1/3 cup raisins

Vanilla Nut Cream Cheese

Process:
• 8 oz. package of cream cheese
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir in:
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds, walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts

Orange Flavored Cream Cheese

Process:
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1/4 cup orange marmalade

Stir in:
• Optional Ingredients: 1/4 cup dried, chopped cranberries and/or 1/3 cup toasted, chopped pecans

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese

Process:
• 8 oz. cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
• 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup of canned pumpkin or pureed fresh pumpkin
• 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 3/4 of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
• optional powdered sugar for thickening or to adjust sweetness to your liking

Stir in:
• 1/4 cup walnuts

Fruit Flavored Cream Cheese

Process:
• 8 oz. package of cream cheese or neufchatel cheese
• 1/4 cup of preserves, jam or fruit spread (Strawberry, Blueberry, Blackberry and Raspberry work well)