09/09/2026
Sweet, creamy, and made for the holidays! 🎄❤️ These 6 homemade spreads are perfect for adding a little extra sweetness to the season.
🍫 1. Peppermint Chocolate Spread
Makes about 1½ cups
Ingredients: 9 oz (255 g) semisweet chocolate finely chopped, 1 cup heavy cream, 1 tbsp unsalted butter, ½ tsp peppermint extract, ¼ tsp salt, 2 tbsp crushed candy canes for topping.
Instructions: Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat cream in a saucepan until steaming and just beginning to simmer—don’t boil it. Pour over chocolate and leave for 2–3 minutes. Whisk until completely smooth, then whisk in butter, peppermint extract and salt. Cool until thick and spreadable. Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top before serving.
🍁 2. Maple Pecan Spread
Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients: 2 cups pecan halves, 2 tbsp pure maple syrup, ¼ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp vanilla extract, 1–2 tsp neutral oil only if needed for blending.
Instructions: Toast pecans at 350°F (175°C) for 7–10 minutes until fragrant. Cool slightly, then process for several minutes until the pecans release their oils and become creamy. Add maple syrup, cinnamon, salt and vanilla and blend again. If necessary, add just enough oil to achieve a smooth spread. Transfer to a clean jar and refrigerate.
🎄 3. Gingerbread Cookie Spread
Makes about 1½ cups
Ingredients: 2 cups finely crushed gingersnap cookies, 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp molasses, ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice, 6–8 tbsp heavy cream.
Instructions: Process the gingersnaps into very fine crumbs. Add melted butter, brown sugar, molasses and pumpkin pie spice. Process while gradually adding the heavy cream until the mixture becomes smooth and spreadable. Start with 6 tablespoons and only add more as necessary. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate.
❤️ 4. White Chocolate Cranberry Spread
Makes about 1½ cups
Ingredients: 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese softened, 4 oz (115 g) white chocolate melted and slightly cooled, ⅓ cup dried cranberries finely chopped, 2 tbsp powdered sugar, 1 tsp finely grated orange zest, ½ tsp vanilla extract, pinch of salt.
Instructions: Beat softened cream cheese until completely smooth. Beat in powdered sugar, vanilla, orange zest and salt. Gradually beat in the melted white chocolate until creamy. Fold in finely chopped dried cranberries. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.
I would specifically use dried cranberries rather than fresh cranberries here. They give you cranberry flavor without releasing enough water to make the creamy spread loose.
🍎 5. Salted Caramel Apple Spread
Makes about 1½ cups
Ingredients: 2 medium Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples peeled and finely diced, 2 tbsp unsalted butter, ⅓ cup packed brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp vanilla extract, ½ cup thick caramel sauce.
Instructions: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cook for 8–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are very tender and most excess moisture has cooked away. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool slightly, then stir in caramel sauce. For a chunky spread, leave as is; for a smoother consistency, pulse briefly in a food processor. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
For this one, cooking the apples first is important. I wouldn’t simply mix raw diced apples into butter, cream and brown sugar as the infographic might suggest.
💚 6. Pistachio Cream Spread
Makes about 1½ cups
Ingredients: 1 cup (130 g) unsalted shelled pistachios, ¾ cup whole milk divided, 6 oz (170 g) good-quality white chocolate chopped, ¼ tsp salt, 1–2 tbsp powdered sugar optional.
Instructions: For a smoother, greener cream, briefly blanch the pistachios and rub away as much skin as possible, then dry thoroughly. Process pistachios until they become a fine paste. Gradually process in ½ cup milk. Separately heat the remaining ¼ cup milk with white chocolate in short microwave intervals, stirring until completely smooth. Add this to the pistachio mixture with salt and process until creamy. Add powdered sugar only if you want it sweeter. Refrigerate in an airtight container.
Storage: Because several of these contain dairy, don’t treat them like shelf-stable jam. Keep them covered and refrigerated. The pistachio cream, for example, can be refrigerated for up to two weeks according to the tested recipe.
