Search
Party Essentials: Appetizer Christmas Tree Cheese Ball

Party Essentials: Appetizer Christmas Tree Cheese Ball

Share Post:

Party Essentials: Appetizer Christmas Tree Cheese Ball

How does this happen every year?

Y’all know what I’m talking about, right?

You’re cleaning up the house after Thanksgiving (which, in Canada, for those of you who don’t know, is early) and you start thinking about Christmas. “This year”, you tell yourself, “it will be different!!”.

“This year, I will start planning now and be all set for Christmas by December 15th!”

“Yayyy for me”…

Fast forward to December 15th (or in this case, December 20th) and you are nowhere near ready for the holidays.

Oh well…it’s all going to be fine.

It may not be a Martha Stewart Christmas, but it will be full of love and good food.

Honest.

Just don’t get your knickers in a knot.

It’ll be fine.

My message to you is, pick one thing and do it well and your guests will be impressed.

Maybe you will put out some meat and cheese (which is what I am doing as I type this post out because I have guests arriving in a few hours!) and “wow” them with one thing.

Maybe it will be this snowman cheeseball (all the deets are in this post).

It’s seriously rolled up cheese, rolled again in parmesan and decorated with thyme, peppercorns, cloves and a carrot strip.

Party Essentials: Appetizer Christmas Tree Cheese Ball Just Crumbs Blog by Suzie Durigon

Or maybe you can just shape it all into a tree, slather on some pesto, tuck in some rosemary and call it a day. If you top it with a piece of cheese (or in today case, a yellow pepper) cut out with a cookie cutter, you’ll have yourself the prettiest tree-shaped cheese ball ever!!

It all goes into your food processor and gets smooshed together…then you cover it with plastic wrap and shape it …

Party Essentials: Appetizer Christmas Tree Cheese Ball

By the way, if you feel like it’s getting too soft, then you can just pop it into the freezer for about 10 minutes…it’ll harden up!

Cover with your choice of festive accoutrements and make it your own!!!

Party Essentials: Appetizer Christmas Tree Cheese Ball

So, see….take a few minutes to whip this up and nobody will know you ordered the pizza!!

Happy entertaining!!

Party Essentials: Appetizer Christmas Tree Cheese Ball

Appetizer Christmas Tree

An easy, make ahead entertaining idea that will shine on your holiday table!!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pkg cream cheese (250 g) softened
  • 1 log goat cheese (300 g)
  • 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
  • 1/4 cup roasted red peppers diced
  • 1/4 cup dill pickles finely diced
  • 1/4 cup chives chopped
  • 1/4 cup parsley chopped
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 cup prepared pesto, divided
  • Rosemary leaves/sprigs to decorate
  • 1 thick slice cheddar (or you can use a yellow pepper) (cut into a star shape)

Instructions
 

  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine both cheeses, sun dried tomatoes, peppers, pickles, chives, parsley and spices; mix until the ingredients are well combined.
  • Place a few pieces of plastic wrap around the edges of a serving platter. Scoop the cream cheese mixture out onto the middle of the platter and completely cover with another piece of wrap.
  • Use your hands, mold the cream cheese into a tree shape. Then, carefully pull out the plastic wrap around the bottom of the tree. Remove the plastic wrap that you used to mold the tree and clean up the surface by smoothing it out with a palette knife or butter knife.
  • Carefully spread the pesto onto the outside of the tree and then, decorate with the  rosemary leaves/sprigs, lightly pressing each into the cream cheese to ensure they stay on.
  • Top with the cheese star and place the remaining rosemary (or you can use thyme if you have it), around the bottom of the tree
  • Serve with crackers of your choice, or sliced baguette