The holidays are all about entertaining and decorating. Why not combine the two? These three colorful cheese ball “ornaments” are festive and fun – the perfect addition to a Christmas party or other celebration. Pair them with your favorite veggies and crackers and watch them disappear!
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 45 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 pound Cheddar, grated (about 4 cups)
- One 4-ounce jar diced pimentos, drained
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- Three 4-ounce logs goat cheese, at room temperature
- One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon pink peppercorns, crushed
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds
- Three 5-ounce containers herbed cheese spread, such as Boursin, at room temperature
- One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 3 chives
- 3 pitted green olives
- 1 roasted red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
- Carrot sticks, celery sticks or your favorite dipping vegetables, for serving
- Crackers, for serving
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- For the pimento cheese ball: Mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise and 2 1/2 cups of the Cheddar in a large bowl; reserve the remaining 1 1/2 cups Cheddar for decorating. Add the pimentos, Worcestershire, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. Stir until completely combined. Shape the cheese mixture into a ball and place on the lined baking sheet.
- For the herbed cheese ball: Mix together the herbed cheese spread and cream cheese in another large bowl. Toss the chives, dill and parsley together in a separate bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup of the herbs for decorating, then fold the remaining herbs into the cheese mixture. Shape the cheese mixture into a ball and place on the lined baking sheet.
- For the pomegranate cheese ball: Mix together the goat cheese and cream cheese in a third large bowl. Stir in the honey, pink peppercorns, sumac and salt until completely combined. Shape the cheese mixture into a ball and place on the lined baking sheet.
- Cover the balls with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
- To finish the cheese balls: Press the reserved Cheddar around the exterior of the pimento ball to coat the entire ball in cheese. Transfer to a serving board or platter. Drape the red pepper strips over the pimento cheese ball to create stripes. Coat the herbed cheese ball with the reserved herbs and transfer it to the same serving board. Coat the goat cheese ball with pomegranate seeds and transfer it to the same board.
- To create ornament toppers, tuck both ends of each chive into the pit hole of an olive, making a loop. Then press an olive, chive-side up, into the top of each of the cheese balls.
- Arrange the carrot sticks, celery sticks or your favorite dipping vegetables and crackers around the cheese ball ornaments for serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 671 |
| Total Fat | 57 g |
| Saturated Fat | 31 g |
| Carbohydrates | 15 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 28 g |
| Cholesterol | 151 mg |
| Sodium | 894 mg |