White Cheddar & Cranberry Cheese Ball
WHITE CHEDDAR & CRANBERRY CHEESE BALL WITH CRACKER VARIETY
Who doesn’t love cheese?
It’s the life of any party that has food. And the life of my fridge on any day, really.
For the holidays I think it’s essential that most family get togethers have a food table. There’s a food table, and then there are other food tables. Such as appetizer tables, dessert tables, finger food tables, bloody mary buffet tables - or maybe that’s just a southern thing.
Heinen’s has the best selection of cheeses for your cheese sphere of dreams!
Make sure you grab an assorted pack of crackers from Heinen’s, there’s even a honey graham!
Make sure to use a soft cheese like cream cheese so that the mixing is even easier.
Making cheeseballs are VERY easy. The biggest factor is using a good even ratio of soft cheese to block cheese. Using a food processor is key to getting the perfect blend without chunks of cheese. If that’s what you like then maybe using a grater is better for you, but I don’t recommend it. When the ball is fully formed into the sphere shape you want, or even using a mould would be a great idea in a festive shape, but you’ll have to freeze it for at least 30 minutes so that it holds some shape for a couple to server hours for the party you are hosting.
WHITE CHEDDAR & CRANBERRY CHEESE BALL RECIPE
Ingredients
food processor
8 oz soft plain cream cheese
8 oz new york sharp white cheddar
3/4 cup dried cranberries + handful for topping
1/3 cup fresh sage, sautéed in 3 tbsp brown butter until crispy (about 10 min)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme removed from sprigs
4 oz white cheddar cranberry cheese
4 oz mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup clove honey
1/2 cup toasted slivered or chopped almonds
Instructions
In a food processor, place ALL cheeses.
On a medium speed, blend the cheese until they are mixed well. You may need to add the honey so that the blades cut through easier.
Add the remaining ingredients except for 1/4 cup of the toasted almonds to the cheese mixture and blend.
After cheese is fully mixed, take a plastic wrap sheet, and place on a countertop space.
Add the cheese from processor to the center, and begin forming the ball with the wrap on all sides. You will want to have a flat bottom because the cheeseball will need to sit on the plate at some point, and people won’t see the flat, just crackers around the ball is fine.
Once the ball is fully wrapped, place in the freezer for 30 minutes or less, depending on the firmness you want.
Once you are ready to serve it, you will need to get a handful of cranberries and the remaining almonds, and coat the top of the cheeseball for serving!
