Cherries and chocolate – heavenly, right? If you aren’t convinced, try this Cherry Chocolate Chip dip! You’ll thank me later 🙂

I brought this sweet dip to a valentine celebration that I was invited to that was for just ladies. It’s an annual event, but I came as a newcomer, invited by my good friend, Michele. It was a fun night for just the gals to get dressed up, sip on wine, exchange valentine gifts like you would at a white elephant gift exchange.

Have you participated in a gift exchange like that? Everyone is assigned a number, and in sequential order, you can either “steal” a gift someone else chose and opened or pick an unopened present.

The difference is that the theme was BLING. You brought a gift that was blingy, as in sparkly! Super girly fun!  I was number 18 out of 21 or so. I could have taken my pick of just about any gift, except for one of the most sought after presents, a mask like this!

Image from here 

The mask got some attention, and was swooped up in no time! Each gift can be stolen 3 times before it’s off limits, so for those that are really paying attention, you can definitely strategize!

Besides the mask, there was quite a bit of jewelry that was super pretty. I had my eye on my favorite, until I opened my present, a bottle of wine with a stiletto shoe wine holder like this!

CUTE! And did you catch that I said it came with WINE. Yeah, I was good with my wine and Cinderella shoe. What are you going to do with a mask anyway?! 😉

I knew there would be a lot of different types of foods, and wasn’t quite sure what snack I would bring, so I searched for inspiration on Pinterest, and found several sweet dips that looked enticing.

The Cherry Chocolate Chip Dip jumped out at me and I KNEW that I had to recreate it! Not only does is look delicious, but HELLO, it’s a pretty pink color, very valentine-ish 🙂

Remember, I’m the one that made a celebration cake that matched my dishes 🙂

There weren’t any fresh cherries at my store, so I used dark-red morello cherries that Trader Joe’s carries. They’re packed in a light syrup, which I used in the dip.

If you don’t have access to jarred or canned cherries, you can use maraschino cherries. I don’t particularly care for that type unless it’s used as a garnish in a cocktail, but I know you can get them fairly easy from grocery stores.

I served this with a simple Italian cookie called Lattemiele. Also purchased from Trader Joe’s (by the way, no affiliation, I just happen to live near the store), but graham crackers or sugar cookies would  be tasty too. Next time I make this dip, I’ll serve it with fresh fruit!

You know you made something yummy when you hear someone shout, “Who brought that dip?!!”  🙂 

You also might be interested in trying Cherry Pie Filling Salad from Margaret’s Morsels!

Yield: 8 servings

Cherry Chocolate Chip Dip

Print

Sweet cherry dip with chocolate chips for a dessert or an addition to an appetizer. Serve with cookies, crackers and sliced fruits.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 ounce Neufchatel cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons butter, unsalted and softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup cherry juice from jar of cherries
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup Morello Cherries, chopped
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips more for garnishing

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together until creamy and well blended. Mix in vanilla and cherry juice, and then the powdered sugar. Fold in chopped cherries and mini chocolate chips. Put dip in a serving bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour. Garnish with additional chocolate chips and serve with cookies, graham crackers and fruits.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 212 Total Fat: 12g Saturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 4g Cholesterol: 32mg Sodium: 101mg Carbohydrates: 24g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 22g Protein: 3g

Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.