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Yields:
8 serving(s)
Prep Time:
15 mins
Total Time:
5 hrs
Part retro, part cult classic, it’s hard to go wrong with a cheese ball. This festive pumpkin rendition may not contain any actual pumpkin, but it’s full of fresh herbs, minced jalapeño, and of course, plenty of cheese. It’s got all the bold, salty, creamy flavors you’d expect in a good cheese ball, but it’s also totally adjustable to your personal taste.
As long as you’ve got the pumpkin-forming technique down (and it really just takes a little plastic wrap and some rubber bands), you can mix-and-match cheese ball flavors to your heart’s content. We’ll break down some options below.
The Cheese
We’d recommend keeping that cream cheese and goat cheese base for structure, but any of your favorite hard cheeses will do in place of cheddar. We like something on the sharp or salty side to contrast the other cheeses, like Gruyère, gouda, or Asiago.
The Herbs
Though you’ll need at least one scallion if you want to make the pumpkin’s curlicue tendrils, any fresh or dried herbs can be substituted. Just be sure to finely chop the fresh herbs to avoid a lumpy cheese ball.
The Spice Factor
Fresh jalapeño isn’t the only way to add a little kick to this appetizer. Chipotles in adobo, ground cayenne or chili powder, or a tablespoon or so of your favorite hot sauce are all great options.
The Coating
Pretty much any orange crunchy snack will do the job! Just make sure you can crush them up completely—the smaller the pieces, the more readily they stick onto the outside of the cheese ball.
Made this? Let us know how it went in the comment section below!
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Ingredients
- 8 oz.
cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 4 oz.
fresh goat cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups
shredded sharp cheddar (about 8 oz.)
- 2
scallions, white and light green parts thinly sliced, 1 (6") dark green piece reserved
- 1
medium jalapeño, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp.
finely chopped chives
- 1 1/2 tsp.
Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- 1
bell pepper
- 2/3 cup
Cheddar Goldfish, finely crushed
Crackers and sliced raw vegetables, for serving
Directions
- Step 1In a large bowl, stir cream cheese and goat cheese. Add cheddar, white and light green scallion parts, jalapeño, chives, and Worcestershire sauce and stir until incorporated; season with salt and pepper.
- Step 2Transfer cheese mixture to a large piece of plastic wrap (you may need 2 pieces), cover, and form into a large ball. Using 4 rubber bands, create ridges by wrapping them around ball, dividing into 8 sections. (You may need to wrap them multiple times if they’re too large to make an indent.) Refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
- Step 3Meanwhile, cut reserved dark scallion part into long, thin strips and place in a bowl of ice water in refrigerator. (This will cause them to curl.) When ready to use, pat dry with a paper towel.
- Step 4To create the pumpkin “stem,” carefully remove bell pepper stem. Slice remaining pepper for serving.
- Step 5Remove rubber bands and plastic wrap from cheese ball and coat in Goldfish crumbs. Transfer to a platter and press pepper stem into the top. Remove stem and place ends of curled scallions in indentation, then return stem to secure scallions in place.
- Step 6Let cheese ball soften to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Serve with crackers and sliced vegetables alongside.
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