Cheese Ball

Nobody had cheese balls in stock one holiday season, so we made our own. We're never going back to store bought!

Family Fav Cheese Ball:

1 3/4 cups sharp white cheddar cheese

1/4 cup pepper jack cheese

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dry hidden valley ranch seasoning

1/8 tsp black pepper, ground

1/4 tsp worchestershire sauce

1 tsp to 1Tbsp mayonnaise (as needed)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, pistachios), or slivered almonds

Grate cheeses. Add softened cream cheese, dry seasonings, and worchestershire sauce. Blend in a food processor, stand mixer, or hand mixer. The mixture should be thick and sticky, about the consistency of deviled egg filling or biscuit dough before the final addition of flour, but not tough or dry. If it needs a little more moisture, add 1 tsp of mayonnaise. Pulse. Check consistency. Add more mayo, one tsp, pulse, check until you're satisfied with it.  Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap. Place nuts in the center of the plastic. Using clean hands, scoop the cheese mixture out of the food processor and form it into a ball, compressing as you work it. Roll the cheese ball in the nuts. Leave loose nuts on the plastic and wrap the ball tightly. Set in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour to firm up and let flavors blend. Overnight is best. Serve with crackers or fresh vegetables. 

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Alternatives to rolling in nuts: Everything but the Bagel seasoning, dried chopped parsley, finely chopped bacon, finely chopped dried beef from a jar.

Jarlsberg Cheese Ball:

1 1/2 cup Jarlsberg or similar

4 oz cream cheese

2 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp black pepper, ground

1 Tbsp mayonnaise, or more as needed. 

Bruschetta Cheese Ball:

1 cup medium cheddar cheese

4 oz cream cheese

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning mix

1 tsp sun dried tomato in oil, blend into a paste

10 black olives, finely chopped

8 green olives, finely chopped

Add green olives last and mix by hand.