Description
Creamy cranberry pecan cream cheese ball delights holiday gatherings with festive flavors. Crimson berries and crunchy pecans combine for an irresistible appetizer you’ll savor with crackers or crusty bread.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (50 g) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup (25 g) pecans, chopped (plus more for coating)
- ½ cup (50 g) pecans, chopped (for coating)
- ¼ cup (30 g) dried cranberries, finely chopped
- 2 tbsps green onions, finely chopped
- 1 tsp honey (optional, for sweetness)
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Crackers
- Vegetable sticks
- Baguette slices
Instructions
- Preparation: In a spacious mixing bowl, whip cream cheese with an electric mixer until achieving a luxurious, smooth consistency.
- Flavor Fusion: Gently fold shredded cheddar, chopped cranberries, minced green onions, and toasted pecans into the cream cheese base, ensuring even distribution of ingredients and creating a complex flavor profile.
- Seasoning: Enhance the mixture with a drizzle of honey, then sprinkle garlic powder, salt, and freshly ground black pepper, blending thoroughly to marry all flavors into a harmonious spread.
- Shaping: Utilize plastic wrap to carefully form the cheese mixture into a compact, rounded ball, ensuring a smooth exterior and seamless texture.
- Chilling: Refrigerate the cheese ball for a minimum of one hour, allowing flavors to intensify and the mixture to solidify for optimal serving consistency.
- Finishing Touch: Just before serving, optionally coat the exterior with additional chopped pecans to create a crunchy, visually appealing presentation that adds textural contrast.
Notes
- Cream Cheese Temperature: Ensure cream cheese is at room temperature for smooth blending and easier mixing, preventing lumpy texture.
- Ingredient Precision: Chop cranberries and pecans finely to distribute evenly throughout the cheese ball, creating balanced flavor in every bite.
- Flavor Enhancing: Toast pecans beforehand to intensify their nutty essence and provide deeper, richer undertones to the overall dish.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Prepare the cheese ball a day in advance to allow flavors to develop and intensify, making it perfect for advance party preparation.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg