Description
Festive Christmas Tree Cheese Ball made with cream cheese, herbs, and colorful toppings—an easy, make-ahead holiday appetizer.
Ingredients
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (5.2 oz) package Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese
¾ cup (3 oz) shredded cheddar cheese (white or orange)
4 Tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
1 ¼ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 ¼ teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ cup dried cranberries or cherries, chopped
½ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
For Decorating the tree:
1 bunch fresh parsley finely chopped (for coating)
1 pomegranate cut open for the arils.
Red, yellow and orange sweet bell peppers cut into tiny squares or one side for a star.
Slices of cheese block for a star
Whole pecans, sliced almonds or pine nuts
Halved cherry tomatoes
Instructions
- In a large bowl add the cream cheese, Boursin, shredded cheddar and crumbled feta. Using either a gloved hand or a spoon, mix until thoroughly combined.
- Mix in the Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard and orange zest.
- Fold in the chopped dried fruit and nuts. Mix until all the flavors are combined.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let chill in your refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Remove the chilled mix and roll it into a log, use your hands and plastic wrap for support to gently form the mix into a Christmas tree shape.
- Stand it up and push the bottom flat.
- Take the Christmas tree and stand up in your refrigerator on a plate and allow it to firm up for at least an hour.
- Pull the parsley leaves off and chop with a sharp knife until finely minced. You can also add it in your food processor and pulse a few times to chop quickly and finely.
- Lay down a large sheet of plastic wrap on your counter.
- Spread the minced parsley on the plastic wrap.
- Roll cheese mixture into the parsley covering all sides.
- Use your favorite food decorations to decorate your Christmas tree cheese ball.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes chill time + 20 minutes decorating time