Chopped #4 - A Sweet Cheese Board

With the four ingredients of cheese, crackers, honey, and sprinkles, I knew there were a million different options out there. I could have made a cheesecake, a twist on Oreo truffles, baked Brie, or so many other options. But  I couldn’t resist a good ol’ cheeseboard, complete with Prosecco! 

I made oat crackers with marscapone, dates, hazelnuts, spiced honey, and sprinkles....

Olive oil crackers with Brie, rosemary honey, and sprinkles.....

Do blinis count as crackers? Does caviar count as sprinkles? Does the answer change if I added edible glitter to it?

And the real submission: funfetti cheesecake dip with Teddy Grahams!

Funfetti Cheesecake Dip

Ingredients 

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice 
• 1 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles 
• Teddy Grahams for serving 

1. Blend together the cream cheese and honey in a medium bowl. Stir in the vanilla and lemon juice. 
2. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form.  Carefully fold into the cream cheese, being careful not to lose too much air. 
3. Fold in the sprinkles. Serve with Teddy Grahams. 
4. Enjoy!

Olive Oil Crackers 

Ingredients 

• 3 cups AP flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1 cup warm water 
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme 

1. Combine the salt and 1 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with a dough hook. With the mixer running, slowly add the water and olive oil, until the dough comes together. The dough will be tacky. 
2. Divide the dough into 8 balls, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rest for 45 minutes. 
3. Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 
4. Roll out the dough as thinly as possible. Combine the herbs and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and sprinkle over the dough, rolling it in. Cut into desired shapes, prick with a fork, and carefully transfer to prepared baking sheet. 
5. Bake 7 - 9 minutes, until golden and crunchy. Cool completely on a wire rack. 
6. These are best enjoyed the same day they are baked. 

Hazelnut, Date, and Honey Crackers 

Inspired by this recipe 

• Oat crackers (see ingredients below)
• 2/3 cup marscapone cheese
• 1/2 cup dates, chopped
• 1/3 cup hazelnuts, chopped
• 1/2 ounce spiced rem
• Zest of one orange 
• 1/3 cup honey 
• Golden sprinkles 

Cracker Ingredients

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 
  
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 1/2 cups AP flour 
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats, finely ground

1. Make the crackers. Beat together all cracker ingredients except flour and oats until well combined. Add the flour and the ground oats in batches, mixing just to combine. 
2. Divide the dough in half and flatten into disks. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. 
   
3. Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove dough from the refrigerator and allow to warm for five minutes. 
4. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Use a knife or cookie cutters to cut crackers. Carefully transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. 
5. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before cooling completely on a wire rack. 
6. Assemble. Prepare the honey by combining honey, orange zest, and rum in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until starting to bubble. Allow to cool completely. 
7. Spread marscapone cheese over the crackers. Top with chopped dates and nuts, then drizzle with spiced honey. Finish with sprinkles for a little extra pizzazz. 
8. Enjoy!