This Two-ingredient Trader Joe’s Appetizer Will Be Your Go-to for This Year’s Dinner Party Scene

If you’re one of those people who puts things off until the very last minute, then you have likely experienced the appetizer mad dash before. You give yourself about five minutes in the grocery store to come up with something to bring to a dinner party and usually end up with chips and prepackaged dip transported in a plastic shopping bag.

This year — no more. Luckily, you don’t have to put that much more time into upping your appetizer game in 2023. This brilliant Trader Joe’s appetizer recipe only includes two ingredients and can be assembled in about 30 seconds (literally).

Natasha from the Trader Joe’s List Instagram account shared this easy app on her page, but she gives original credit to the Instagram account Spicey Joe’s. ⁠

“It’s an all-time seasonal favorite that will be sure to be a hit at any cocktail or holiday party!” Natasha writes in her caption. “The sweetness of the cream cheese combined with the heat of the pepper jelly makes every bite irresistible! Pat the Spatula hopes you’re able to snag a jar of pepper jelly while you still can and enjoy!”

The appetizer is quite literally just cream cheese and Trader Joe’s Pepper Jelly. The jelly is a hot and sweet mixture of savory goodness, and when paired with the cool cream cheese, you get the perfect spread for any kind of cracker.

The hardest part is figuring out just how you want to serve it. Natasha chose to go the cheese board route and spread her cream cheese on a wooden serving board before topping it with pepper jelly. But Spicey Joe’s opted to use the entire block of cream cheese and simply put it on a plate and topped it with the jelly to serve.

It depends on the size of the crowd and how much cream cheese is too much cream cheese in your opinion (if too much cream cheese is even a thing, that is).

Make sure you always have cream cheese, Trader Joe’s Pepper Jelly, and a box of crackers on hand at all times throughout this year and you’ll be ready to assemble a tasty appetizer at the drop of a hat.

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