Christmas Ornament Cheeseball with Cranberries, Pecans, & Pomegranate
I’m still on my cheezy cheeseball kick! While I’ve liked certain things about different holiday cheeseballs I’ve tried, there wasn’t one recipe that really hit all my favorite flavor points. So, I combined my favorite things about a few different recipes and created this holiday ornament cheeseball with a toasted pecan and dried cranberry filling.
Before Thanksgiving, I was working on the recipe and brought a “test cheeseball” to my monthly euchre club. If you aren’t a card player or from the Midwest, euchre is a popular card game played with four people. Many Midwesterners are very serious about euchre and various rules become a topic of hot debate.
A few months ago, I stumbled into this euchre group and have been so surprised with what a diverse, well-organized, low-key gathering of women it is. Someone hosts and makes a main dish and others bring food and drink… or not. We gather, greet each other, draw names to determine who your partner is for the night, and get to the game.
The group is supportive, welcoming and kind. If someone doesn’t know the rules, everyone teaches them. There is no judgement on what you bring, or don’t bring. And, I have yet to overhear any mean-spirited conversation or gossip.
Since I’d been testing this cheeseball recipe, I brought it to the group. I removed the Rolo and ribbon since it was a a bit early for ornaments. The ladies dove in and finished it off – a good sign! A few people asked me for the recipe, so I knew I’d found a winner.
Tips for Making this Holiday Cheeseball Appetizer
- The cheeseball mix can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for a day or two.
- I purchased pomegranate arils that were already harvested from their outer skin to save time. They were fresh and worked fine
- If you can’t find Rolos in individual wrappers (like I didn’t), just open the roll, and use the outer foil to wrap around one of them.
- If you have a large holiday party and need to feed a crowd, you can make a few of these with different sizes and different colored ribbons.
- Serve the cheese ball with your favorite crackers or an assortment
Christmas Ornament Cheeseball with Cranberries, Pecans, & Pomegranate
Description
A fun, festive holiday appetizers for parties. The Christmas ornament design wows the eyes while the seasonal flavors tickle taste buds. A crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup finely chopped dried cranberries
1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
For outer decoration
1 cup pomegranate perils
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 chocolate Rolo candy wrapped in gold foil
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, shredded cheese, parsley, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until well combined.
- Stir in the chopped cranberries and toasted pecans.
- Use your hands to form the cheese mixture into one, large ball. It may help to wet your hands a bit to keep it from sticking.
- Put the cheeseball in the refridgerator for at least 15 minutes to firm up a bit
- Press the pomegranate perils into the outside of the cheeseball until the entire outside is covered.
- For serving, put a sprig of fresh rosemary on the top with a Rolo and a bow to look like a Christmas ornament.
- Serve with your choice of crackers.
