Description
Celebrate the festive season with this adorable Snowman Christmas Cheese Ball recipe, featuring a delightful blend of creamy and sharp cheeses seasoned with ranch mix. Perfect as a holiday appetizer, this charming cheese ball duo is shaped into a snowman, decorated with a baby carrot nose, peppercorn facial features, and shredded cheese coating. It’s an easy, make-ahead party favorite that pairs wonderfully with crackers for a crowd-pleasing snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Cheese Ball Mixture
- 2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, at room temperature
- 1 oz package ranch seasoning mix
- 1 1/2 cups finely shredded jack cheese
Decorations
- 1 baby carrot
- Whole peppercorns (for eyes, mouth, and buttons)
Instructions
- Prepare Cheese Base: Let the cream cheese and shredded sharp cheddar cheese come to room temperature to ensure smooth mixing. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, and ranch seasoning mix. Mix until well blended and creamy.
- Shape Cheese Balls: Divide the cheese mixture into two portions: one smaller for the snowman’s head, and one larger for the body. Form each portion into a ball shape. Wrap each cheese ball separately in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to firm up. This step can be done several days in advance.
- Apply Outer Coating: Just before serving, press the finely shredded jack cheese all over the surface of both cheese balls evenly to create the snowman’s white exterior.
- Assemble and Decorate: Place the larger cheese ball on a serving plate to form the body. Carefully place the smaller cheese ball on top to create the head. Cut the tip off a baby carrot and press it into the head cheese ball to make the snowman’s nose. Use whole peppercorns to form the eyes, mouth, and buttons down the front of the body.
- Serve: Serve the festive snowman cheese ball with an assortment of crackers for guests to enjoy.
Notes
- This recipe can be made several days ahead; keep refrigerated until serving.
- Allowing cheeses to come to room temperature before mixing makes for a smoother texture.
- For a festive twist, you can swap ranch seasoning mix with other dry seasoning blends.
- Use a variety of crackers such as water crackers, wheat crackers, or multigrain for serving.
- Ensure the cheese balls are well chilled before coating with shredded cheese for better adherence.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Christmas cheese ball, holiday appetizer, snowman cheese ball, ranch cheese ball, festive appetizer, party cheese ball
