Step by step

Method

4 steps

1. 1

   Let 8 oz cream cheese sit out until fully soft — cold cream cheese stays lumpy no matter how long you beat it. Beat on medium until completely smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute.

2. 2

   Add 1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice. Beat until the dip looks cloud-soft and uniform with no white cream-cheese streaks — scrape the bowl once so nothing hides at the bottom.

3. 3

   Taste. If you want it sweeter, beat in up to ½ cup powdered sugar a little at a time. Transfer to a serving bowl.

4. 4

   Serve right away with strawberries, apple slices, grapes, and pineapple, or cover and chill up to 2 days (stir before serving — it firms in the fridge). You want a fluffy, scoopable sweet dip that clings to fruit — not a dense cream-cheese brick or a weepy separated bowl.