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Zippy Cranberry Cheddar Spread

"This zesty spread is a holiday hit! It's easy to make and tastes even better the day after you make it. Serve with crackers or slices of baguette. This spread is zippy, so if you don't like spice, reduce cayenne and dry mustard by half."

By allrecipes · From Open Recipes · 6 ingredients
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Zippy Cranberry Cheddar Spread

Why it works: Cream cheese and cheddar cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 467 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

Zippy Cranberry Cheddar Spread

3 cups
Prep15 min

Ingredients

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

434Calories
18 gProtein
28 gFat
32 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Cheddar Cheese1 oz (28g)113
Cream Cheese1 oz (28g)99
Grape1/2 cup (76g)62
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By allrecipes. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cream cheese + cheddar cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together467 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  2. Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,430 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  3. Cheddar cheese + milktop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,964 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  4. Cheddar cheese + mustardtop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together708 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Cream cheese + milktop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,393 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream cheese, cheddar cheese, milk, pepper):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Potatofits better
  3. Chivefits better
  4. Mustardthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cream cheese, cheddar cheese, milk, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.