Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball

Cranberry Pecan Cheese Balls are a favored crowd-pleasing appetizer to share at your holiday gathering with your family and friends. This holiday Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball is made from deliciously sharp white cheddar cheese, Georgia pecans, cream cheese, jalapeno peppers, and chives, and served with a various assortment of crackers. 

This Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball is the perfect party appetizer to set out for your family and guests while you prepare the main course for your holiday meal. It’s not only amazingly delicious tasting, but it’s also self-serve and doesn’t require any further work from the host or hostess.

 

 

The thing I love the most about this Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball is just being able to set out a platter with this flavorful Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball surrounded by various crackers. All you have to do is add a cheese knife next to the Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball, and then you’re done. You won’t even need to worry about the portion sizes because your guests can take as little or as much as they’d like.

Below I have listed some of our family’s favorite crackers to serve with cheese balls. However, you don’t have to get all fancy pants. You can serve the Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball with simple butter crackers such as Ritz or Townhouse crackers if you prefer them.

 

Suggested crackers

• Sesame wheat crackers

• Seeded multigrain crackers

• Cracked wheat crackers

• Rosemary crackers

• Poppy and pepper water crackers

• Sevan grain crackers

 

 

 

 

How easy is it to make a Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball? It’s so easy you’ll be wondering why you haven’t made one before. It’s chopping a few ingredients, combining them with the cheese, forming a ball, and rolling the ball in dried cranberries and toasted chopped pecans.

 

Suggested Equipment

• Sharp kitchen knife to chop the pecans, dried cranberries, and jalapeno peppers.

• Cutting board to chop the ingredients.

• Measuring cups and spoons to measure the ingredients. 

• Box Grater to finely grate the white cheddar cheese

• Mixing bowl to combine the ingredients.

• Mixer or standing mixer (optional but recommended) to mix the ingredients.

 

 

Grocery List

• Dried cranberries

• Pecans

• Sharp white cheddar cheese

• Cream cheese

• Jalapeno peppers

• Chives or scallions

• Garlic powder

• Onion powder

• White pepper

Below you will find my printable recipe card with the exact measurements of the ingredients needed and easy to follow instructions to prepare the Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball, plus the nutritional information.

 

 

 

 

 

How to make a Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball

1. Soften the cream cheese on the counter for about 30 minutes. While waiting, gather the rest of the ingredients and any suggested equipment needed.

2. Lightly toast the pecans by putting the nuts in a dry skillet in an even layer and place the skillet over medium heat. Cook, shaking the skillet from time to time, stirring with a wooden spoon, and frequently turning the pieces around until the nuts are a light brown. As soon as they are golden brown, transfer them to a plate to cool off.

3. Chop the dried cranberries, cooled toasted pecans, slice the chives or scallions, and mince the jalapeno peppers (remove seeds). Divide the cranberries and pecans by 2. Reserve until needed.

4. Freshly grate the sharp white cheddar cheese. Place the sharp white cheddar cheese and softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl and add 1/2 cup of toasted chopped pecans, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, minced jalapeno peppers, and garlic powder, onion powder, and white pepper. Combine the ingredients until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30-45 minutes to firm the mixture.

5. With freshly cleaned hands, shape the Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball mixture into a ball shape.

6. Place the other 1/2 cup of toasted chopped pecans and 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries in a medium bowl. Roll cheese ball through pecans and cranberries to cover the outside completely.

7. Serve the cheese ball with assorted crackers, using a butter knife for spreading. 

 

 

 

Pro tips

1. Be sure not to skip over the toasting of the pecans. The pecans release more flavors after being toasted.

2. Chop the toasted pecans and dried cranberries finely. That way, the pecans, and cranberries will coat the cheeseball more evenly and be more comfortable to spread on crackers.

3. Always use freshly grated cheese and skip the idea of using pre-shredded cheeses. The freshly shredded sharp white cheddar cheese has a better flavor and consistency. 

4. Don’t skip over the chilling step, or you might not be able to properly shape the cheese ball mixture into a ball if it’s too soft.

5. Let the cheese ball rest at room temperature before serving for a softer consistency.

6. Use a cheese knife or butter knife for spreading instead of crumbling your crackers from just diving in with a cracker.

 

 

 

Frequently asked Questions

1. Can I Mix the cheeseball mixture by hand? If you do not have an electric mixer or stand mixer, you could mix this by hand in a pinch. Let the cream cheese soften a little longer and use a mixing spoon or wooden spoon and put a little elbow grease into it,

2. How long will the cheese ball be able to sit out? Because of the dairy products in this cheeseball recipe, I would only let it sit out for approximately 2 hours.

3. How long does a cheeseball last in the refrigerator? This cheeseball will keep well refrigerated in an airtight container for  5-7 days max.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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