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Holiday Tree-Shaped Cheese Ball

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Holiday Tree-Shaped Cheese Ball
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  • Prep 20 min
  • Total 4 hr 20 min
  • Servings 28
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Looking for an easy, eye-catching way to serve a holiday cheese ball at your next festive get-together? Look no further than this Christmas tree cheese ball recipe! Cream cheese, cheddar cheese and other delicious add-ins are shaped into a festive holiday tree and ornamented with parsley, pine nuts and fresh bell peppers. The best news? You can make this Christmas tree-shaped cheese ball up to a month in advance!
By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Updated Nov 15, 2022

Ingredients

  • 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
  • 4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (16 ounces)
  • 2 tablespoons basil pesto
  • 1 tablespoon grated onion
  • 1/4 teaspoon yellow mustard
  • Red pepper sauce
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley or cilantro
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts or sliced almonds
  • 2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper
  • Piece of lemon peel, if desired
  • Assorted crackers, if desired

Steps

  • 1
    Stir together cream cheese and Cheddar cheese; divide in half. Stir pesto into 1 half; stir onion, mustard and 2 or 3 drops pepper sauce into other half. Cover each half; refrigerate about 4 hours or until firm enough to shape.
  • 2
    Place cheese mixtures on cookie sheet. Shape each half into cone shape to look like a pine tree.
  • 3
    If desired, wrap each tree, label and freeze up to 1 month. Twelve hours before serving, remove trees from freezer. Thaw in wrapper in refrigerator.
  • 4
    Just before serving, roll unwrapped trees in parsley, pressing it evenly onto trees. Press pine nuts onto trees in string form for garland. Press bell pepper pieces onto trees for ornaments. Top each tree with star shape cut from lemon peel. Serve with crackers.

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

  • tip 1
    Place your Christmas tree cheese ball in the middle of a platter covered with a napkin "tree skirt," and surround it with crackers of differing shapes and sizes to represent holiday gifts.
  • tip 2
    Add some Italian flair to your Christmas cheese ball by swapping out the parsley or cilantro for a combination of fresh basil and oregano.
  • tip 3
    To quickly soften the cream cheese, remove all packaging, place it on a microwaveable plate and microwave uncovered on High for about 30 seconds or just until softened. Microwave ovens vary, so keep an eye on your cream cheese to avoid it softening too much.

Nutrition

165 Calories, 15 g Total Fat, 6 g Protein, 1 g Total Carbohydrate

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1/4 Cup
Calories
165
Calories from Fat
135
Total Fat
15 g
Saturated Fat
9 g
Cholesterol
45 mg
Sodium
180 mg
Potassium
60 mg
Total Carbohydrate
1 g
Dietary Fiber
0g
Protein
6 g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
12%
12%
Vitamin C
2%
2%
Calcium
10%
10%
Iron
2%
2%
Exchanges:
1 High-Fat Meat; 1 1/2 Fat;
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
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