Sweet Green Delight: Just 4 ingredients. My sister makes this creamy dessert every March and it disappears in minutes

This slow cooker 4-ingredient mint chocolate chip dip is my family’s little March tradition. My sister started making it years ago for our St. Patrick’s Day get-togethers, and now it disappears in minutes every time. It’s creamy, sweet, and pale green with ribbons of melted chocolate running through it—like a warm, scoopable mint chip ice cream. Everything melts together right in the slow cooker, so it’s a hands-off dessert that feels special but is easy enough for a busy weeknight or a last-minute party.

Serve this dip warm, straight from the slow cooker on the “warm” setting, with a big plate of dippers: chocolate graham crackers, vanilla wafers, shortbread cookies, pretzels, and sliced strawberries. It’s also wonderful with small cubes of pound cake or angel food cake for a more dessert-like feel. For family movie nights, I like to put out bowls of mini marshmallows and extra chocolate chips so everyone can sprinkle their own toppings over a spoonful of dip. A pot of coffee or hot cocoa on the side balances the sweetness, and if you’re serving adults, this pairs nicely with a simple after-dinner mint tea.

Servings: 8-10

2 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened and cubed

Lightly spray the inside of a small slow cooker (2–4 quart) with nonstick cooking spray to help with cleanup.

Add the cubed cream cheese and the sweetened condensed milk to the slow cooker. Stir or spread them together a bit so they’re fairly evenly distributed.

Cover and cook on LOW for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes, until the cream cheese is fully melted and the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Turn off the heat briefly, then stir in the peppermint extract. Start with the 1 teaspoon, taste, and add a tiny splash more if you prefer a stronger mint flavor. The dip should be pleasantly minty but not overpowering.

To give the dip its pale green color, you can rely on the natural tint from the peppermint extract if it’s green, or add 1–2 drops of green food coloring at a time, stirring well, until you reach a soft, light green shade. This step is optional but makes it feel extra festive for March.

Stir in 1 cup of the semisweet chocolate chips until they are mostly melted and create swirls and ribbons through the dip. The heat of the mixture will melt them into streaks rather than fully blending in.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips over the top and gently fold once or twice so you keep some whole chips throughout for texture and that “mint chocolate chip” look.

Switch the slow cooker to the WARM setting. Cover and let the dip sit for 5–10 minutes to finish softening the chocolate chips and to thicken slightly.

Serve the dip warm, right from the slow cooker, with your favorite dippers such as cookies, pretzels, or fruit. Stir occasionally to keep the texture velvety and the chocolate ribbons evenly distributed.

For kids who are unsure about mint, you can cut the peppermint extract down to 1/2 teaspoon for a very gentle flavor, or split the batch in half and only mint one side. If you have someone who doesn’t like the green color, simply skip the food coloring and serve it as a creamy white dip with chocolate ribbons. To lighten it up a bit, you can swap one block of cream cheese for 8 ounces of Neufchâtel (1/3 less fat cream cheese); the texture will still be rich and smooth. For extra chocolate, stir in a mix of semisweet and milk chocolate chips, or sprinkle mini chips on top right before serving. Around the holidays, you can crush a few chocolate sandwich cookies or peppermint candies and let everyone sprinkle them over their own bowls. If your slow cooker runs hot, check the mixture after 45 minutes and stir more often to prevent scorching along the edges—every slow cooker is a little different, so once you know how yours behaves with this recipe, it becomes an easy, almost set-it-and-forget-it tradition.