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| Nyakers Pepparkakor (Gingersnaps) in Their Pretty Tin |
After a record-breaking summer of unearthly heat and drought, the weather in north Texas has finally turned. As I type this, I'm gazing out the window at a skim of platinum clouds, a blanket over my lap and a cat nestled against my side.
[Okay, technically the blanket is overkill. It's 67 outside, not exactly freezing. But compared to Monday's 107, this feels absolutely awesome.]
With the first breath of autumn in the air, my mind has turned to flavors of fall: butternut squash, crisp apples, barley soups, crusty bread, Shepherd's pie ... I can't wait to share autumnal recipes with you all over the coming months. These are the flavors and foods I love the most, hearty and comforting.
Today, though, I'm sharing an unusual fall recipe I picked up when I was checking out of a World Market a few years ago. It's a recipe for pumpkin dip created by Nyakers (a Swedish company that makes the most intensely flavored, delicately textured gingersnaps). It's a wonderful addition to any fall potluck or party: it's an unusual vehicle for the familiar flavors of pumpkin pie, and it gives people the ability to have just a tiny portion of dessert (if, for some reason, they want to skimp on dessert ... personally, that kind of restraint is utterly foreign to me).While this creamy, sweetly spiced dip goes beautifully with Nyakers pepparkakor (and the Nyakers tins look so fancy when you present them to a hostess), any gingersnaps will do. You can also serve the dip with graham crackers, vanilla wafers, or (if you're being virtuous) slices of apple and pear.
Nyakers Pumpkin Pie Dip
15 oz. pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 1/2 Tbs. orange juice
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until creamy and smooth. (Or, in the alternative, mix all ingredients with a hand mixer.)
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