Homemade Cream Cheese (Plain, Hot Chocolate, Gingerbread)

For the plain cream cheese base:

1. Place milk into a large pot and bring to a boil.
2. Stir in lemon juice and turn off the heat. Let sit undisturbed for 3-5 minutes.
3. Strain the liquid (aka whey) from the curd in a fine mesh strainer. You can let it slowly drip out for 20-30 minutes, or squeeze it out, or both. Use a cheesecloth or nut milk bag if you have one. A paper towel lining the mesh strainer works too. Save the whey for pancakes or other things.
4. Place the strained curd into a blender. Add salt and blend until completely smooth. It will be thick at first before it starts getting smooth. If it’s really too thick, add in a little bit of whey or cream.
5. Pour into an airtight container and add flavorings if you’d like. Let chill in the fridge before serving. It will thicken up slightly. Enjoy!

For the flavored cream cheeses:

*   Hot chocolate cream cheese: Add cocoa powder, malted milk or dry milk powder, melted dark chocolate, and coconut sugar or any sweetener if needed, to taste.

*   Gingerbread Cream Cheese: Add approximately 1 Tbsp Molasses, 1 tsp ground ginger, 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg, and a little bit of sugar or honey, to taste.