Description
This Cranberry Walnut Cheese Ball is a festive and easy-to-make appetizer perfect for holiday gatherings. It combines toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, sharp cheddar, and cream cheese to create a deliciously tangy and creamy cheese ball, served with your choice of crackers or chips.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cheese Ball
- ¾ cup walnuts (chopped)
- ¾ cup dried cranberries (chopped)
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1 cup shredded Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
For Serving
- Crackers (pita chips, pretzels, etc.)
Instructions
- Toast Walnuts: Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chopped walnuts. Toast them while stirring often for 5 minutes, or until golden brown and fragrant. Watch closely to prevent burning.
- Mix Walnut Mixture: In a medium bowl, combine the toasted walnuts, chopped dried cranberries, and fresh parsley. Stir until well blended and set aside. Using a hand mixer here can make stirring easier.
- Combine Cheeses and Seasoning: In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, shredded cheddar, garlic powder, and half of the walnut-cranberry mixture. Stir thoroughly until evenly combined.
- Chill Mixture: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight. Cover the remaining walnut-cranberry mixture separately with plastic wrap as well.
- Shape the Cheese Ball: Use wax paper to shape the chilled cheese mixture into a ball. Then roll the cheese ball in the remaining walnut-cranberry mixture to coat it evenly.
- Serve: Arrange the cheese ball on a serving plate and serve with crackers, pita chips, pretzels, or your favorite dippable snacks.
Notes
- Toast walnuts carefully as they can burn quickly; stirring constantly helps.
- Using a hand mixer can make blending the cheeses and ingredients smoother and easier.
- Chilling the cheese mixture overnight improves flavor melding and firming for easier shaping.
- For variation, try different nuts or dried fruits, such as pecans or apricots.
- The cheese ball keeps well refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 176 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 122 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 29 mg
