Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball
Looking for a quick and festive holiday appetizer to keep your guests munching before the main event? This cranberry pecan cheese ball recipe is the perfect solution with it's creamy, slightly sweet and tangy flavors that pair perfectly with crunchy crackers or makes an amazing centerpiece for a holiday charcuterie board. While this pecan cheeseball looks impressive, it is surprisingly easy to make.
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
- 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries, chopped and divided
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground mustard powder
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon jalapeno, minced
- 1 tablespoon chives, chopped and divided
Instructions
- Add cream cheese, sour cream, onion powder, ground mustard and honey to a bowl and stir well to combine the ingredients. This is much easier to do if the cream cheese is at room temperature. You can use a spatula or a hand mixer.
- Add half of the cranberries, half of the chives and all of the jalapenos and stir again working the mixture into a ball shape.
- Place a piece of plastic wrap on a clean work surface and add the cream cheese mixture to the center. Wrap the cream cheese tightly and shape into a ball with your hands.
- Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour to firm up. Add the pecans, remaining cranberries and chives to a plate to coat the outside of the cheese ball once ready to serve.
- Remove plastic wrap and place cheese ball on plate with the pecan mixture. Use your hands to coat the ball pressing tightly to coat all sides.
- Place the cheese ball on a platter and serve with crackers, pretzels or veggies sticks.