This cranberry pecan cheese ball combines creamy cheese with acidic cranberries and crunchy pecans, making it the ideal holiday sharing snack! Serve it with candied pecans on the side.
As you may know, I’m not a great lover of cream cheese. But, I am a huge fan of anything with white cheddar cheddar cheese, so cheese balls? I’m all for it.
Cheese balls stuffed with dried cranberries and nuts? Nobody is harmed if you just give it over.
That is why, my friends, I created this Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball.
Contents
Ingredients for cranberry pecan cheeseball
- 8 ounces Neufchatel or cream cheese
- 2 cups shredded white sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 tsp orange extract, optional
- cup finely chopped dried cranberries (affiliate link)
- cuppecans,chopped
- 1 cup dried cranberries, whole (aff link)
- 1cuppecans
How to make cranberry pecan cheeseball
- In a large mixing bowl, blend cream cheese and cheddar cheese using a hand or stand mixer (aff link). If using orange extract, add it now and thoroughly mix it up.
- Stir in the cranberries until well combined.
- Put the mixture in the middle of a piece of plastic wrap and wrap it fully around it while molding it into a ball. Put in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to cool.
- Unwrap the ball, lay it on a serving plate, and top the exterior with whole dried cranberries and pecans (aff link) (you may need more or less than a cup each depending on the side of the ball you made).
- With crackers, pita chips, or pretzels, serve. Enjoy!
Makes a great holiday appetizer
This appetizer is ideal for serving to guests while you prepare the main meal for your holiday dinner. It is self-service and does not need anything special.
Just plop this bad boy on a platter surrounded by crackers, throw a cheese knife (well, maybe don’t chuck it, position it gently) next to it, and you’re done.
People may eat as little or as much as they like, so you don’t have to worry about portion proportions.
See? I told you it was flawless.
Isn’t this little Gobble Gobble Till You Wobble sign from Target adorable? The response is ADORABLE.
Anyway. But, of course, I added some orange essence to mine. If you wanted to be really festive, add a dash of red food coloring. You could also add some cranberry puree, but it would be a little messier.
How to serve a cheese ball
The cheese ball should be kept refrigerated until ready to serve, but once laid out, it will only get easier to cut into.
To be honest, it can only assist matters until your guests are a few drinks in. Getting the cheese onto the cracker is quite the effort when you’re in an eggnog-induced haze.
On a firm cracker or pita chips, this cranberry pecan cheese ball goes great.
How many servings does this cheeseball make?
This is the great size for 10 people, so if you have more, you may want to build more than one.
Perhaps you could create one HUGE cheeseball, photograph it next to your dog for scale, and email it to me. Because of the dog.
Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball
Pin Print
- ✓ Read the recipe beginning to end
- ✓ Check oven calibration
- ✓ Check expiration dates
- ✓ Properly measure ingredients
- ✓ Check butter temperature
Description
Equipment
- Mixing Stand
- Hand held mixer
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Neufchatel or cream cheese
- 2 cups shredded white sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon orange essence (optional)
- 1 cup finely chopped dried cranberries
- chopped cuppecans
- 1 cup dried cranberries, whole
- 1cuppecans
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, blend cream cheese and cheddar cheese using a hand or stand mixer until thoroughly incorporated. If using orange extract, add it now and thoroughly mix it up.
1 teaspoon orange essence, 8 ounces cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese, 2 cups white sharp cheddar cheese - 2 cup cranberries, dried
Stir in the cranberries until well combined.
1 - Put the mixture in the middle of a piece of plastic wrap and wrap it fully around it while molding it into a ball. Put in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to cool.
- 1 cup whole dried cranberries, 2 cups pecans
Unwrap the ball, lay it on a serving plate, and top with whole dried cranberries and chopped and whole nuts (you may need more or less than a cup each depending on the side of the ball you made).
1 - With crackers, pita chips, or pretzels, serve. Enjoy!