Easy Entertaining: Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball Recipe

cream cheese

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: ricotta cheese

Greek yogurt reduces calories while maintaining creaminess

pistachios

🥗Healthier: sunflower seeds

💰Cheaper: walnuts

Sunflower seeds are lower in calories and easier to find

dried cranberries

🥗Healthier: dried cherries

💰Cheaper: raisins

Dried cherries provide a similar tartness

cheddar cheese

🥗Healthier: low-fat cheese

💰Cheaper: processed cheese

Low-fat cheese reduces calories while maintaining flavor

Put one block of cream cheese into a bowl and mix until soft and smooth.

Add 1/3 cup of mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon of white pepper, 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika, and 1 tablespoon of honey to the cream cheese and mix until smooth.

Taste the mixture and add another 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika for a total of 1/2 teaspoon.

Add 1 cup of shredded cheese (1/2 cup old cheddar and 1/2 cup Italian mix) to the mixture and mix until combined.

If the mixture is still too soft, add another cup of shredded cheese (again, 1/2 cup old cheddar and 1/2 cup Italian mix) and mix until thick enough to form balls.

In a shallow bowl, mix together finely chopped sweetened dried cranberries and finely chopped salted and roasted pistachios.

Take about a tablespoon of the cheese ball mixture, roll it into a ball, and coat it in the cranberry and pistachio mixture.

Set the coated cheese balls on pieces of plastic wrap and wrap them up.

Put the wrapped cheese balls in the fridge to set until they are firmer.

After chilling, unwrap each cheese ball and reshape them if necessary.

Optionally, stick a pretzel stick into each cheese ball for easy picking up and display them on a board.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens