How cute are these for your holiday party?For the cheeseball flavors, ( came up with artichoke parmesan (the snowball), sun dried tomato chive (polkadot decorated ball) and spinach, almond paprika (cheeseball with the tree cutouts).
The recipes are separated below so if you only need to make one or two of them for your size crowd, you can do that.
The best part about making these is the fun you can have while creating them. I just used up what I had on hand. A convenient option to use up leftover ingredients in your kitchen. Swap out the nuts, spices and veggies for what you have on hand.
I used mini cutters to create festive shapes and removed three toppers from three Christmas ornaments to use as decoration on top of the cheese balls. You can use small pretzel loops as well.
Christmas Ball Cheese
Spreads Appetizer
Prep Time: 30 minutes
For the Artichoke Parmesan Spread:
Ingredients:
- 4 oz (1/2 brick) softened cream cheese
- 1 artichoke heart
- 2 tablespoons 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions:
- Drain the artichoke heart. Squeeze out the excess liquid. Wrap it in paper towel and gently squeeze again to drain off the excess liquid. Mince the artichoke heard and blot the pieces again with the paper towel.
- In a bowl combine the cream cheese, chopped artichoke heart, and 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese.
- Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
- Roll the mixture into a ball. Spread the remaining 1/3 cup shredded parmesan on a work surface and roll the cheese ball in it to coat the entire ball.
- Flatten the bottom slightly and place upright on a plate.
- Lightly cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
For the sun-dried tomato chive spread:
Ingredients:
- 4 oz (1/2 brick) softened cream cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, plus a few for decoration
- 2 teaspoons chopped chives, plus some unchopped for decoration
- salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions:
- Place the cream cheese in a bowl.
- Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and chopped chives to the cream cheese.
- Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
- Roll the mixture into a ball.
- Flatten the bottom and place upright on a plate. Garnish with sundried tomatoes and chives.
- Lightly cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
For the Spinach almond paprika spread:
Ingredients:
- 4 oz (1/2 brick) softened cream cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped baby spinach
- 3 tablespoons chopped raw almonds, plus some for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika, plus some for decoration.
- salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions:
- Place the cream cheese in a bowl.
- Mix in the chopped spinach and almonds.
- Add the paprika and season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
- Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
- Roll the mixture into a ball.
- Flatten the bottom and place upright on a plate. Garnish with almonds and paprika
- Lightly cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
Serve the spreads:
- Transfer the Christmas ornament shaped spreads to one serving plate.
- Push a Christmas ornament cap into the tops of each cheese ball.
- Decorate the plate or serving platter.
- Serve with your favorite assortment of crackers and flatbreads.
