The Ultimate Blue Cheese Spread with Pecans Recipe
This Ultimate Blue Cheese Spread with Pecans is a creamy, flavorful cheese spread perfect for entertaining. It combines rich cream cheese and butter with tangy blue cheese, crunchy roasted pecans, fresh chives, and a splash of cream sherry for depth. Chilled to develop its flavors and served at room temperature, it pairs beautifully with crackers or toasted baguette slices for an elegant appetizer.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes (including chilling time)
- Yield: About 3 cups 1x
- Category: Spread
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Cheese Spread
- 24 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature (4 ounces)
- 4 ounces blue cheese crumbles
- ½ cup pecans, chopped and roasted
- ½ cup chives, chopped
- ¼ cup cream sherry
Garnish
- 1 tablespoon pecans, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chives, chopped
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl, add the cream cheese, unsalted butter, roasted pecans, blue cheese crumbles, chopped chives, and cream sherry. Stir the ingredients together to start combining them evenly.
- Mix to Smooth Spread: Use an electric mixer if needed to blend all components into a creamy, smooth spread without lumps.
- Chill and Develop Flavors: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the mixture for at least eight hours. This resting time allows the flavors to meld beautifully.
- Bring to Room Temperature: Before serving, remove the spread from the refrigerator and let it sit out for about two hours to soften and enhance its texture and taste.
- Garnish and Serve: Sprinkle the spread with the reserved chopped pecans and chives for garnish. Serve the spread with crackers or toasted baguette slices for an elegant appetizer.
Notes
- Allow the spread to sit at room temperature for at least two hours before serving to fully soften.
- To freeze, store in an airtight container for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then let sit at room temperature for two hours before serving.
- You can omit the cream sherry or substitute with brandy or cognac.
- Pecans can be replaced with other nuts or seeds such as sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
- To quickly roast pecans, place chopped nuts on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 5 minutes; microwave an additional minute if needed.
- To soften cream cheese quickly, microwave unwrapped cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl for 35-45 seconds for three packages.
Keywords: blue cheese spread, pecan cheese spread, creamy cheese spread, appetizer spread, party appetizer
