#cream-cheese

#cream-cheese

Luckily, Tasting Table ranked the worst to best store-bought cream cheese brands to help you select the right schmear for your bagel - and know which ones to skip. Particularly, Tillamook's cream cheese block was a disappointment of the bunch, placing last, mostly due to what Tasting Table writer Emily Hunt described as a "somewhat chalky mouthfeel," along with a "very slight sweetness." Hunt was hopeful about the Pacific Northwest brand, known for its quality standards and quality cheese and ice cream.

You could argue that everything is better in dip form. Not only is it fun to scoop, dip, and pull creamy, cheesy dips with salty crackers and chips, but it's also often way easier to prepare than more intricate appetizers. Instead of stuffing, filling, or rolling complicated, beautiful hors d'oeuvres, you can mix a dip in one bowl or dish and, if needed, bake it until melted.

A dip's inherent beauty lies in its ability to be exactly what you need in the moment. The party calls for a conversational catalyst, and there it is, perched atop of a snack platter. Come midnight, when hunger strikes unexpectedly, it's the one thing that fills your belly. Any time you want to finish those dull veggies still sitting in the fridge, it's a good dip that will make them interesting.

Even when it's just yourself, a cat, and the remote control, a good dip can make it feel like a party. One thing you'll notice about dip recipes is that a lot of them start with cream cheese. Really, a lot. And why not? It provides a smooth, creamy base that goes well with almost anything, and it has just enough of a cheesy tang to enliven the flavors you pair it with.

I was a horrendously picky eater as a child. My safe foods included peanut butter sandwiches, plain buttered pasta noodles, chicken nuggets, and similarly simple fare. My mother catered to my underdeveloped palate by testing, altering, and re-testing recipes to see what I would actually eat when it was placed in front of me. One day, she discovered what would soon become a favorite: Ritz crackers loaded with a generous helping of cream cheese.

Cake mix has many creative uses besides its intended dessert, from pie crusts to waffles. If you can't decide between cake or cookies, why not have a bit of both by transforming your cake mix into cookies with the help of cream cheese. Cake mix provides the dry ingredients and a base of sugar and flavors that takes the work out of making cookies from scratch.

Cream cheese is a handy staple, given that it can be used to rustle up a quick snack with crackers, be spread on a bagel for something more substantial, and used to make dips and spreads. It also has multiple uses in both sweet and savoury cooking.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 egg yolk, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 3 tablespoons sugar, and a pinch of salt till just mixed. This should still be somewhat firm and not soupy. If too loose, place in fridge till needed. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pumpkin pie spice. In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin purée, vegetable oil, 3 eggs, 1 1/4 cups sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla.

The secret to these ultra-fluffy scones? Cream cheese. In a fit of inspiration, I replaced almost all the butter with it to great success.