The most savory and delicious appetizer that takes less than 15 minutes to make. Two types of cheeses rolled together with some scallions or chives, dried cranberries, and chopped nuts. Make this for your next gathering, it’s always a HUGE crowd pleaser!

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My family has made a cheeseball for every holiday for as long as I can remember. My mom’s cheeseball is famous in our house. One year I decided to try my hand at making one - the end result was a cheeseball that actually rivaled my moms. We make this cheeseball recipe every year now… sorry mom!

Here’s my Ultimate Cheeseball recipe!

What Ingredients are Needed for The Ultimate Cheeseball?

Cream Cheese: Softened slightly to make it easier to work with and mold into a ball shape.

Sharp Cheddar Cheese: White sharp cheddar cheese that preferably you shred yourself from a block. I find that buying pre-shredded cheese is harder to mold the cheeseball shape with and you end up seeing the processed cheese shreds - not ideal!

Scallions or Chives: A ½ cup of scallions/chives really enhance the savoriness of this app! I switch it up, sometimes I do scallions, sometimes I do chives - whichever you prefer!

Dried Cranberries: There’s a slight difference between craisins and dried cranberries, if you can find big dried cranberries grab them! If not, craisins will work just fine. I find the dried cranberries are juicier in a way, even though they’re dried… they add a ton of flavor!

Walnuts: Option to swap these for pecans or almonds. I love the crunch the walnuts provide but doesn't power the other flavors in this dish.

Kitchen Tools Needed for this Recipe

• Large bowl
• Cheese grater 
• Cutting board and sharp kitchen knife

Want More Delicious Cheesy Appetizers? Try These:

• Whipped Feta Dip with Air Fried Pita Chips
• Baked Three Layer Mexican Dip
• Crispy Cheesy Roasted Asparagus 
• Peppadew Poppers

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How to Make The Ultimate Cheeseball

Step One: Combine the cheeses together with your hands. Then add the scallions/chives and dried cranberries in a large bowl. Fold all of the ingredients together until scallions/chives and cranberries are evenly distributed amongst the cheese.

Step Two: Form into a ball shape (or whatever shape you prefer - log, ball, snowman…) and roll in the chopped walnuts. 

Step Three: Option to serve immediately or put in the fridge for a few hours (this lets the flavors really absorb together but is not a necessary step).

Forming the Cheeseball Tips & Suggestions

It’s best to let the cream cheese be slightly softened so it’s easier to mold and work with. 

Using a block cheddar cheese that you shred yourself allows the shreds to combine and mold better with the cream cheese over using a pre-shredded cheese. Using pre-shredded tends to show the lines of the cheese in the ball and it’s not as pretty!

You can form the cheese into the classic ball shape or get creative with it for any holiday. Try doubling the recipe and forming it into several balls shapes to make a snowman or roll it into a log shape for a yule log!