The cheese ball is a Texas party tradition; whether it’s the super bowl or New Year’s Eve, no celebration is complete without one. Consider the recipe more of a guide—any variety of leftover cheese scraps can be tossed into the cream cheese mixture. Feel free to add or subtract any elements to your liking. Chef and cookbook author Vivian Howard likes to add bacon fat to her mix, rolling it in crispy fried pepperoni and topping it all in hot honey.
What You Will Need
Ingredients
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
- 1 oz. jalapeño, seeded and diced (2½ Tbsp.)
- 2 1⁄2 oz. red bell pepper, diced (⅓ cup)
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced (2 Tbsp.)
- 1 cup of pecans, chopped and divided
- 1⁄4 cup dried cranberries, chopped and divided
- 2 tsp. hot sauce, like Tabasco
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- Pinch of salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Crackers and crudité vegetables
Instructions
Step 1
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- In a large bowl mix together cream cheese, bleu cheese, jalapeno, red bell pepper, green onion, 2 Tbsp of pecans, 2 Tbsp cranberries, Tabasco, Worcestershire, salt and pepper.
- Form the mixture into a ball with your hands and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Scatter remaining pecans and cranberries on a large plate or sheet tray and roll the ball around to cover all sides.
- Serve with crackers and crudite vegetables.
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