Holiday Cheese Balls
You know what they say, every great meal starts with a great appetizer. Okay, we might have made that up. But still, we think there’s definitely some validity in that statement! And as far as your holiday dinners are concerned, we think our house-made cheeseballs are the perfect snack to enjoy while you (im)patiently wait for the main feast.
Choose from 2 handmade gluten-free varieties of cheese balls, located in the Deli To Go Case: Bacon Mango Chutney and the Classic Original! Made fresh with quality ingredients, a hefty amount of natural cream cheese is mixed with herbs, spices, and rolled in parsley or ground almonds to create these retro, and delicious, cheese balls!
How you enjoy them is up to you, but we think they’re best enjoyed at room temperature with a strong, hearty cracker like Back to Nature’s stoneground wheat crackers or Simple Mills’ gluten-free crackers. Put your cheeseball in the middle of a serving tray or charcuterie board and surround it with your other favorite cheeses, charcuterie meats, fruits and veggies, and spreads for a big holiday gathering.
Or, if you want to try making your own cheeseball at home, you know we’ve got recipes for that, too!
Basic Mini Cheese Ball Filling
Satisfy appetites and nostalgia with Mini Cheese Balls. Use straight pretzel sticks as “handles” for these simple, bite-sized appetizers. Make a batch of Basic Cheese ball filling. Then add the seasonings of your choice: dried fruit, chopped nuts, garlic, sundried tomatoes, bacon and more can be used to amp up the flavor level.
Ingredients
8oz of soft cheese
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 cup shredded firm cheese (i.e. cheddar, parmesan, pepper jack, gouda)
Directions
Mix all of the ingredients well, season with salt and pepper.
Form cheese mixture into 1-inch balls, chill 4 hours.
Roll the cheese balls in toppings of your choosing.
For the toppings, use chopped pistachios, almonds, or pumpkin seeds; fresh herbs like chives, and tarragon; and bacon with paprika.
Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese Bites
Photo Courtesy of Co+op
Like it spicy? Kick up the heat of your appetizers with these Jalapeno cheese bites!
Ingredients
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Pinch of salt
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons seeded and minced jalapeño pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
1/2 cup finely-crushed corn tortilla chips
Directions
In a food processor, blend the cream cheese, garlic and salt until smooth. Transfer cream cheese mixture to a bowl and stir in the cheddar cheese, jalapeño, cumin, paprika and cilantro until evenly distributed.
Line a plate or pan with parchment paper. Roll the cheese mixture into 1-inch balls and set on the parchment paper.
Then, roll each ball in the crushed tortilla chips and return to plate or pan. Place the cheese balls in the refrigerator to firm. Serve with tortilla chips or crostini.