Christmas Cheese Ball Recipe

Holiday Cheese Ball Appetizer with vegetables.

Easy Christmas Cheese Ball Recipe as a Make-Ahead Antipasto delicious Appetizer for your Festive Table. Our Holiday Cheese Ball Appetizer, shaped into a Cheese Tree and colored with Olives, is a way to serve your Deliciousness.

Course Side dishes

Cuisine International

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Prep Time 10

Additional Time 2

Total Time 2 10

Servings

Calories 28kcal

Author Zuzana Paar

Equipment

Ingredients

1/4 Cup Sour cream
5 Garlic cloves
2.5 Cups Hard cheese
25 Olives
Fresh rosemary

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare all of the ingredients. With regards to cheese, any hard cheese shredded at home will work.
Place shredded cheese, crushed garlic, sour cream, salt, and pepper into a mixing bowl. Mix the whole spread until all is combined. Place the cheese ball onto the large piece of plastic wrap placed on a work surface and refrigerate for two to three hours for the mixture to harden and is firm enough to shape.
Prepare a big serving plate or cutting board, which you will use as a centerpiece. Once the cheeseball mixture is hardened, remove the cheese from the the fridge, unwrap it, and place it into the piping bag for easier assembly. Cut a hole at the end and start piping your serving plate into a tree shape. Using your spatula, you can finish the shape into a smoother look.
Start with decorating. As first use your olives for the outside of the cheese. Pick each olive and using your hands, gently push evenly onto tree mixture for the olives to hold. Continue spreading the olives all around the tree mixture.
Once you are happy with your olive spread, finish the decoration with a few steaks of rosemary branches. Sprinkle with additional dried cranberries or whole red pepper corns.

Video

Notes

Cheese mixture - small pieces of chopped pecans, chive, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, or red bell pepper can be added.
Rosemary - can be swapped with dill weed or Christmas tree brunches
Additions - add more red whole pepper or dry cranberries for an extra Christmas look
Olives - best is if you can find smaller colorful olives. I have picked mine in an Arabic shop and antipasto market.
Serve - If you are not going to serve immediately, you can place the three into the fridge for a few hours before serving.
Mini trees - mixture can be cut in half and decorated.

Nutrition