Braunschweiger Dip

Two distinct memories come to mind every time I make this braunschweiger dip. I am a little girl watching my grandma, aunt, or mom make this dip in my grandparents’ trailer at the lake. The memory then shifts to being out on the lake in my grandpa’s pontoon, eating braunschweiger dip spread onto crackers after working up an appetite swimming and tubing in the lake. These two memories make braunschweiger dip an absolute summer-time staple in my house.

When my mom and aunt would make braunschweiger, they would actually take the time to make it into a ball, with a thin layer of cream cheese around it. I don’t take the time to do that. So, even though we call it a braunschweiger ball in my house, it more closely resembles a dip or spread. Either way, it’s equally delicious, and equally filled with nostalgia for me.

You might be wondering what braunschweiger is. There are different answers to this question depending on where you are from. In North America, where I live, it’s more similar to liverwurst than what braunschweiger is Europe, or Germany and Austria. Liverwurst, or liver sausage, is a speakable sausage with at least 30% liver content. But, in the midwest, liverwurst is commonly called braunschweiger.

Before making this recipe, I suggest getting the ingredients to room temperature so that they soften slightly. Having softened cream cheese and braunschweiger makes combining the ingredients much easier.

I typically use my Ninja Food Processor to combine the ingredients. It has a plastic “blade” that is typically used for dough, but it works wonderfully for this recipe. If you don’t want to use a food processor, a couple of forks work just fine. That’s the way my grandma, aunt, and mom made it when I was growing up.

If you want to be cool like my mom and aunt, you can make it into a ball by placing the braunschweiger mixture onto plastic wrap or parchment paper and then wrapping it up into the shape of a ball. Cool the ball in the refrigerator for a few hours so that it holds shape.