Can you guys believe our Halloween party is almost over?? We’ve had so much fun this week and hope you have, too–we’ve really loved hearing all of your feedback and fun ideas! The good thing is that both Sara and I feel like Halloween kind of kicks off the holiday season, so we have lots more fun like this coming your way in the next few months!
This is a fall twist of one of our earliest recipes, from our very first theme week. Back when our blog was, like, 6 weeks old, Sara went and had a baby, so I threw her a baby shower, complete with all sorts of goodies you could serve at a girly kind of party. All of the recipes are pretty fabulous, if I do say so myself, but every single time I serve the Caramel Toffee Fruit Dip at a party, I catch someone forgoing the fruit altogether and doing a little lot of finger dipping and even the occasional bowl-licking. It’s so good and so super easy that Sara had the great idea of doing a Halloween twist!
Caramel Toffee Fruit Dip
1 8-oz. package cream cheese (you can use light cream cheese)
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla (you can add more to taste)
Toffee bits (look by the chocolate chips and try and find the chocolate covered ones if you can! Your dip won’t be pretty, but it will sure taste good!)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. (about a pinch) nutmeg
Dippers
Cinnamon chips, cut out in spooky shapes
Hollowed-out pumpkin
You’ll also need:
Assorted fruit (I just buy a fruit tray at some place like Costco or Sam’s Club and a carton of strawberries if they’re on sale. This dip is the best, however, on tart Granny Smith apples).
Bamboo skewers (if you want to kebab your fruit)
Prepare cinnamon chips according to these directions, only cut with Halloween-shaped cookie cutters
Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla with an electric mixer. When ready to serve, stir in about 1/2 a bag of toffee bits with more sprinkled on top. Serve in a hollow pumpkin with the spooky cinnamon chips and fresh fruit.
Again, we hope you’ve had as much fun as we have this week! If you’re just stopping by now, don’t forget to check our the shrunken heads here, and scope out all the fun party food here!
Appetizers
Beef
Sandwiches and Burgers
Beverages
Breads
Breakfast and Brunch
Condiments
Desserts
Pizza and Pasta
Pork
Poultry
Salads and Dressings
Seafood
Side Dishes and Vegetables
Soups and Stews
Candy Penguin Cupcakes
Cinnamon Bun Caramel Corn
Single Serving Pie in a Jar
This sounds great and I love the presentation.
Thanks! I am making this for a baby shower tomorrow and now I can put it in a pumpkin for a better presentation.
That is awesome! I am so making this! Thanks for all the great recipes this week! hugs, michelle
This looks so fantastic! Ron and I are going to a halloween party tomorrow and I plan on picking one of your recipes to take with us! Thanks for such a fun week (Tuesday blew me away)!
I'm loving the Halloween shape tortilla chips! Very clever! I make those chips with a fruit salsa…so yummy!
YUMMY!! I can't wait to make all the fun things from this week!! Thanks!!
mmmm…. I feel like drizzling that on the oatmeal I am eating right now. Tasty! Tasty!
Looks WONDERFUL… So making this!
I can't believe I had forgotten this existed… IT IS SO STINKIN GOOD!!!!! I totally want to go make some right now and eat it with a spoon :)
Mmm! Is it acceptable to dip your finger in it? You know, without any fruit or cinnamon chips?
Great way to kick this up a notch!! Those cinnamon chips are so fun with the pumpkin :-)
Do you know if this would work with cream cheese that has been frozen? I bought a bunch on sale and mistakenly put it in the freezer thinking it would be okay, well it's not. It completely changed the structure, so I'm having a hard time finding things I can use it for that still work in the final product. Thanks!
That's such a fun idea to use cookie cutters for the cinnamon chips. And my mouth is watering just thinking of this dip!
I was just introduced to your blog by my daughter, and I am TOTALLY HOOKED!! You guys are AMAZING, and I have spent hours going through your posts. It just makes me happy!! Now I wish I had time to do everything I found. Thanks for all of your hard work!!
That tip is so tasty I've never made it. A friend frequently makes a similar one. Then I have to wait and have others in the room watching, so I can't lick the bowl or dip my finger in it! =)
Your blog is the death of my diet. And I am loving every minute of it. I made your caramel popcorn TWICE this week. Keep up the great work!
That sounds like my kind of fruit dip! I'm not really into the fluffy, cool whippy fruit dips, but this looks delish! I love the toffee bits idea :)
Way excited about making the cinnamon chips in shapes!! Can't wait to use my cookie cutters!
I am going to do this for our Thanksgiving this week. (Canadian). It looks so yummy and the presentation looks great!! Thanks for all the wonderful recipes and ideas
Nice presentation! Try crushed butterfingers on top of this! YUM!
oh my who are you and how wonderful is this website.
i am running late to a baby shower i am throwing and am making myself even more late by drooling over this site!!!
i will be back!
That is so fun! I have a similar dip, though mine uses peanut butter. Think I will need to try this one :) Love the shapes!
Great pictures! This dip sounds wonderful! It would be super yummy with apples : )~
Caramel dip and granny smith apples…mmm… Great photos!
How neat! What a great idea!
I love all the creative shapes!
Yum! How fun and creative! It would be so fun to serve these at a Halloween party!
Mmmmmm… Looks very tasty!
-chelsey
Ok – this week has been sooo fun! I hate for it to end!! Thanks for all the great ideas.
I love the idea of serving it in a mini-pumpkin! Too cute!
I've named "Our Best Bites" as a recipient of the "One Lovely Blog" award. Thanks for sharing all your creative recipes and beautiful photos!
http://fuzzykoalacakecompany.blogspot.com/2009/10/feeling-and-sharing-love.html
I just recently found this website, and all I can say is WOW! I spent hours today (literally) going post by post bookmarking every other recipe! I can't wait to try so many of them! This recipe right here- the dip sounds great, but the cinnamon things with the cookie cutters- GENIUS! My kiddos will love it!
This dip is so good. I've never made it, but several friends have this time of year. Yummy! And now I have the recipe. Thanks!
So cute! That dip sounds delicious! You have lots of great recipes on your site!
I just found your blog and LoVe it! I have been making a lot of your recipes and they've all been awesome. My hubby even said he's going to start calling me Martha :) I'm definitely going to try this one!
I just found your blog and LoVe it! I have been making a lot of your recipes and they've all been awesome. My hubby even said he's going to start calling me Martha :) I'm definitely going to try this one!
Just made this and it is soooo simple and soooo delicious!!! Can't wait to have my husband taste it when he gets home! Yum!
This was absolutely delicious!!! Thank you for the idea of putting it in a pumpkin. I will do this for the weekend party!
I made this for a party last night, and it was such a hit that I'm making it for another party tonight! Such a good idea, and so simple!
This is fantastic!! I added a dash of salt to the dip we snacked on it with granny smith apples. SOOO GOOD!
What about eating this with some gingersnaps or those ginger thins from Costco?
I'm so going to make this this holiday season. Thanks! Love, love your site!
This is adorable, what temp do you set the oven at?
Thanks!
Aura- the details on the cinnamon chips are in the link. Right here:
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/04/baked-cinnamon-chips.html
Oven temp is 350 :)
This may sound silly, but I have always heard that raw pumpkin can make you sick. It this an old wives' tale?
I've never heard that Jenn! To me, it doesn't seem any different than eating some other raw vegetable, but I suppose if you're worried you could always line the pumpkin with plastic wrap first.
YUM! I just made this today for our Halloween dinner along with a bunch of your other recipes…thanx for all the fabulous ideas!
Do you just mix it altogether you really didnt give instructions??? THANKS cant wait to try it!!
Yep, the instructions are all there :)
Awesome blog!! Love you guys!!
Ok, I made this for my family’s annual Halloween Dinner yesterday and it was simply amazing! Easy, delicious, addicting … everything you want in a fruit dip! Haha.
But seriously … I commend you.
http://momtheintern.blogspot.com
This was a big hit at my pumpkin carving party last night (I used a lot of your ideas and recipes for the party). My husband kept asking me what was in it and every time I told him it was a secret. How can something that tastes so decadent be so easy to make? Thanks for the recipe.
I’m not much of a cook, but this looks like something I can make!
This looks soo good! Can anyone tell me how much this makes or how many it serves?
It probably makes about 1 1/2 cups of dip. So that could serve many people, or just yourself, lol
Yummy! How far in advance do you recommend making this?
Oh Sara. How well you know me. Haha
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[...] The Toffee Caramel Dip was my greatest success! Super simple and ridiculously delicious. I will absolutely be using this recipe in the future. Plus, the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg really make it wonderful for these cooler WI months; it just tastes like the season. I found the recipe here… [...]
Love your website, enthusiasm and gently but clear directions.
I made this for a Guy Fawkes party last night and there were adults standing around it, protecting it, not allowing children or anyone else close by while they finished it off. I was not allowed to take the (very small amount of ) leftovers home. Very yummy. Thank you!
I went to a Halloween party and had this and wanted the recipe… then find it here… I should have known. ANYTHING new that I eat somewhere and love it while I am here in Provo comes from OUR BEST BITES you are changing our way of life for the better! Do you know that!?!