There are three things you should know about cream cheese:
- Cream cheese has been around for ages, but records show it debuted in America in 1872 when a dairyman called William Lawrence allegedly made it for the first time.
- Cream cheese is one of the most underrated ingredients in the kitchen. Its uses are incredibly varied from sweet treats to salty snacks.
- Cream cheese is essentially a soft cheese with relatively high-fat content; its creamy texture makes it stand out.
Of course, you know Philadelphia Cream cheese, but did you know it never came from Philly? It turns out the city had quite a reputation for quality products at that time, so producers named their cheese after the town go get some rep.
Today I’ll show you how to make a fantastic cream cheese building over your good old Philadelphia. The result is amazing, soft, silky cream cheese to spread or dip.
What goes into my Homemade Cream Cheese?
- Well, for starters, you’ll need Philadelphia cream cheese. It turns out, making cream cheese is quite hard, as making the fatty molecules go along with the water in cheese to create a consistent, semi-solid cheese needs an almost scientific approach.
- We’ll be using heavy whipping cream too. It will add fluffiness and body to our spreadable cheese. Heavy cream will also help trap air bubbles in our mixture.
- Finally, we’ll need some salted butter, quite a lot, actually. Butter will emulsify our mixture and will add, not just nice flavors, but texture and consistency.
What you’ll need
- You need a good, old-fashioned bowl, and a spatula to incorporate your ingredients.
- Timing is vital for this one; you need your butter at room temperature and your Philly to be soft.
- Work fast and don’t interrupt your cooking; you might end up with a runny mess.
Other than that, you’ll need a whole bunch of ideas to use your homemade, fluffy, and shiny cream cheese. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered on that one.
Try it with our homemade ciabatta breads or homemade bread rolls
Pro tips
- Avoid the low-fat Philadelphia cream cheese, it has its uses, sure, but today we need all the dairy fat we can get.
- Whether you use your cream cheese as a crepe filling, spread it on a cracker, roll up some sushi rolls with it or mix it in a fluffy bread batter, cream cheese is your new best friend. If it’s homemade, it’ll be your pride and joy.
Homemade Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter
- 12 oz Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Melt butter and leave to cool.
- Beat cream-cheese until creamy.
- Slowly add melted butter into the cream cheese and mix at low speed until all is well blended.
- Add whipping cream, keep beating at medium speed.
- Transfer into containers. Leave one in refrigerator for immediate use.
- Store the rest in freezer.
Notes
Avoid the low-fat Philadelphia cream cheese, it has its uses, sure, but today we need all the dairy fat we can get. Source high-quality butter, fresh, and all-natural. With so few ingredients, the quality of the ingredients really shows. Whether you use your cream cheese as a crepe filling, spread it on a cracker, roll up some sushi rolls with it or mix it in a fluffy bread batter, cream cheese is your new best friend. If it’s homemade, it’ll be your pride and joy.
This goes best on Homemade Ciabatta Bread.
