These Festive Blue Cheese Balls received rave reviews from my friends. Rolled in either dried cranberries or pistachios, they are a welcome addition to a cheese tray or appetizer platter!

Festive Blue Cheese Balls in a white ceramic egg crate

Party Blue Cheese Balls

A cheeseball surrounded by crackers is a staple at cocktail parties. Rolled in pecans, they usually have a cream cheese base and are filled with a variety of ingredients. For a twist, I’ve made these bite-sized and rolled them in dried cranberries and chopped pistachios!

Both coatings add another texture to complement the creamy interior with a subtle pungency from the blue cheese. I served these to a group of my girlfriends over the lunch hour. Needless to say, they were a huge hit! I think these cheese balls may be one of my favorite holiday appetizers!

 

Festive Blue Cheese Balls in a white ceramic dish on a red napkin

How to Make Mini Cheeseballs

  • This easy cheese balls recipe is easily adaptable—use cheddar instead of blue cheese and roll in walnuts, or try feta or goat cheese!
  • Another option is to make a large cheese ball or even a log. A blue cheese ball is perfect for entertaining any time of the year.
  • Make these min blue cheese balls small enough so you can enjoy them in 2 bites.
  • Serve this recipe for blue cheese balls with crackers of your choice.
  • My friends seemed to prefer those rolled in cranberries—the sweetness played well off the blue cheese. But I love the look when offering two different coatings.
  • Plus they’re all decked out for the holidays in red and green, but you definitely can use other nuts, dried fruit, bacon, crushed crackers! Just make sure the coatings are chopped or crushed into small pieces for easy eating.

A couple of things to help you make the delicious blue cheese balls recipe:

More Blue Cheese Recipes You’ll Love:

 

Festive Blue Cheese Balls |- A terrific appetizer for your next cocktail party!

Festive Blue Cheese Balls

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Yield Serves 10+

Delectable bite sized blue cheese balls rolled in cranberries and pistachios

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • A dash of Worcestershire sauce
  • A dash of hot sauce
  • A pinch of kosher salt
  • 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese, I used Maytag
  • 1 tablespoon red currant jelly
  • Chopped pistachios and dried cranberries to garnish

Instructions

  1. Add the first 7 ingredients (cream cheese through salt) to a mixing bowl.
  2. With a hand-held mixer, blend until smooth and well combined.
  3. Stir in blue cheese and jelly.
  4. Chill for about an hour.
  5. Roll into small balls, then roll into either pistachios or cranberries till coated.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 294Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 300mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 6g

HOW MUCH DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?

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More festive holiday cheese appetizer recipes to try:

Goat Cheese Apple Rosemary Thins, from Reluctant Entertainer

Smoked Salmon Cucumber Cream Cheese Appetizers, from Saving for Dessert