Tasting as delicious as it looks, this make ahead ornament shaped cheese ball for Christmas is an appetizer sure to wow your guests this holiday season.
“Is that a cheese ball ornament? How did you do that?!”
~Actual Party Guest
Sometimes it just takes a little bit of imagination to transform one of your favorite recipes into a stunning display.
That was the case when I made this ornament shaped cheese ball for Christmas last year and served it at our holiday party.
I’ve been making festive cheese balls (or cheese tortes if your really want to be precise) with red and green pesto for years. The colors were always so much fun, but I wanted to make something that looked extra special this time.
Of course, it didn’t take long for me to think of an ornament, with all those colorful layers. And I’m thrilled with how it turned out.
Best of all, this not only looks stunning, but the flavors of sun dried tomato and basil pesto are amazing together with the herbed cheese mixture. Rarely do I ever have any left over when making this recipe.
How to Make an Ornament Cheese Ball for Christmas
I won’t lie, there are a lot of steps to making this appetizer. But there’s no need to stress over something time-consuming in the last few days before your party, this edible ornament cheese ball can be made well in advance (see below for instructions)
Start by Preparing the Pesto and the Cheese Mixture
This first step is crucial: drain the oil from the pesto. I didn’t do this one year for a party and it left an oily mess at the bottom of my serving tray. Not pretty at all!
Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to do with a bit of cheesecloth and a cup. Just drape the cheesecloth over the lid of the cup, secure it with a rubber band and place the pesto on top.
While those drain, mix together cream cheese, butter, herbed cheese (we used Laughing Cow), and a little bit of salt in a stand mixer.
This scraper paddle is one of my favorite Kitchen Aid attachments. No more need to scrape down the side of the bowl when making batter! (Just remember to buy the right size for your mixer)
Layer the Cheese Mixture
Once the pesto is well drained, you’ll need two bowls. We used these bowls, which have a nice round bottom on the inside and hold a volume of about 1 to 1.5 cups.
Add a layer of cheesecloth over each of your bowls, about 10 inches square, and then add ⅙ of the cream cheese mixture to the bottom of each bowl.
Next, you’ll alternate layers of sun dried tomato pesto, cream cheese mixture, and basil pesto to create those beautiful red and green stripes.
When both bowls are full, wrap the ends of the cheesecloth on top and refrigerate until firm.
Assemble the Cheese Ball
Once the cheese ball halves are well chilled and firm, unwrap the top of the cheesecloth and use the ends of the cheesecloth to lift the cheese balls from their bowls.
Remove the remaining cheese cloth and place one cheese ball half on your serving platter with the flat side up. Place the other cheese ball half on top with the flat side down.
To create the ornament hook, take a bell shaped pretzel (we used this brand of holiday pretzels) and remove the bottom half of the bell. Place the remaining piece of pretzel on the top of the cheese ball.
TIP: Add the remaining pretzels to a bowl as another easy finger food for your party!
Make Ahead and Freeze
Okay, so we know it’s pretty and it’s delicious. But what really makes this the best Christmas cheese ball recipe is that it’s also freezer-friendly!
To make this cheese ball ahead of time, just leave the pretzel off the top, wrap tightly in plastic and freeze for up to one month before your party.
Make sure to remove the cheese ball to your refrigerator for at least 24 hours before your party to allow it to defrost.
Equipment You’ll Need:
- Cheesecloth
- 2 sturdy cups for draining excess liquid from pesto
- 2 rubber bands
- Two round bottom bowls, with a volume of approximately 1 to 1.5 cups each. (These are the bowls I used)
- A stand mixer or a hand mixer
- A large bowl
- Spreader, spatula, or spoon
- Recommended: Kitchen Aid spatula blade
- Serving platter
More Christmas Ideas to Love
- Christmas Appetizer Wreath (on a budget!)
- White wine holiday sangria
- Orange vanilla Candied cranberries
- Fun and Festive Christmas Activities for Families
- Rudolph Race Off | Hilarious Christmas Party Games
Ornament Cheese Ball for Christmas
Tasting as delicious as it looks, this make ahead ornament shaped cheese ball for Christmas is an appetizer sure to wow your guests this holiday season.
Ingredients
- 6 oz basil pesto
- 6 oz Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 4 wedges Creamy Swiss Garlic and Herb The Laughing Cow
- 2 sticks butter
- 1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 mini pretzel, bell shaped
Instructions
Drain the Excess Liquid from the Pesto
- Cut two 8-inch squares of cheesecloth and place them over the mouth of two sturdy cups.
- Use rubber bands to hold the cheesecloth in place and push the cheesecloth down slightly to create a dip in the cloth. Do not let the cloth touch the bottom of the cups.
- Empty a 6 ounce jar of basil pesto into the dip of one of the prepared cups. Repeat step 2 with the sun dried tomato pesto and the other prepared cup.
Mix the Cheese Filling
While the pestos drain, prepare the cheese filling.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 8 ounces of cubed and softened cream cheese, 2 sticks (1 cup) of cubed and softened unsalted butter, and 4 triangles of garlic and herb flavor Laughing Cow cheese.
- Beat on medium high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add 1 cup of shredded mozzarella and continue mixing at medium speed until well blended, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Set aside until pesto is ready.
- Meanwhile, prepare two small bowls with 10-inch squares of cheesecloth
Create the Cheese and Pesto Layers
In the bottom of the first bowl, layer the cheese mixture and pestos, smoothing out to create even layers:
- ⅙ of the cheese mixture,
- ½ of the sun dried tomato pesto,
- ⅙ of the cheese mixture,
- ⅓ of the basil pesto,
- ⅙ of the cheese mixture,
- and another ⅓ of the basil pesto
In the second bowl, repeat the process with the remaining ingredients:
- ⅙ of the cheese mixture,
- ½ of the sun dried tomato pesto,
- ⅙ of the cheese mixture,
- ⅓ of the basil pesto,
- ⅙ of the cheese mixture
Wrap the cheesecloth over the top layers in your bowls and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until firm.
Assemble the Cheese Ball
- When the layered cheese ball halves are firm, remove them from the refrigerator and unwrap the half that finished with the cream cheese mixture.
- Using the sides of the cheesecloth, lift the cheese ball from the bowl.
- Gently unwrap the rest of the cheesecloth and place the layered cheese ball on your serving plate with the flat side up.
- Lift the top half of the cheese ball from the other bowl and remove the cheese cloth.
- Carefully place the top half of the cheese ball on top of the other half, flat side down this time. Adjust the alignment of the two halves to create a sphere.
- Remove the bottom half of an ornament shaped bell (we used this brand), and gently press into the top of the cheese ball.
- Allow to soften to room temperature for at least 30 minutes and serve with crackers.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
20Amount Per Serving: Calories: 168Total Fat: 15.9gCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g
The nutrition information provided above is estimated using an automated calculation system, and does not account for oil removed during the preparation process. Actual nutrition will vary depending on brand and measurements used in your recipe. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutrition information for any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information using the actual ingredients you used in your recipe.
Now It’s Your Turn
Wow your guests this holiday season with this delicious and gorgeous ornament shaped cheese ball for Christmas. Don’t forget to make it in advance and keep it in the freezer until you need it.
Shelbee on the Edge says
This is absolutely brilliant! I love fun festive food presentation! And you can’t go wrong with a cheese ball and pesto! Delicious!