Bacon, Chive, Jalapeño Cheese Ball
We are going old school with this recipe. This cheese ball is one of the highlights of the festive party circuit for me!
This recipe is perfect to make for guests who are coming over or to keep in the fridge and freezer for a last-minute dinner snack idea. It’s easy to make bunches of these flavourful cheese balls and drop them off to neighbours and friends!
As I put this recipe together, I really wanted to cram in as much flavour as possible. In this recipe, we’ve got bacon, green onions, pickled jalapeños, sesame seeds, capers, dill, and spices. The outer coating has a ton of the same ingredients used, with the addition of chopped pecans to give an extra crunch to the cheese ball.
Let’s Breakdown the Ingredients!
This recipe is super easy to make, even with tons of ingredients to give a powerful flavour, this cheese ball is simple as mixing all of the ingredients together!
To have a good structure for the cheese ball, I used cream cheese and sour cream to make the perfect base. The cream cheese gives a soft texture at room temperature, making it a versatile ingredient for forming cheese balls. The sour cream is a slightly tart and light dairy product that will help keep the cheese balls light.
I’ve added dry spices such as onion powder which adds a strong sweet and savoury onion flavour. The smoked paprika has an intense smokey taste to any recipe. Meanwhile, the garlic powder adds a sweet flavour which is considerably different from the spice of the fresh garlic taste.
Some fresh and pickled ingredients I used for a more impactful taste are green onions, fresh dill, and pickled jalapeños. The green onions add a milder taste of onions and the fresh dill adds a citrus and grassy undertone taste. And the pickled jalapeños give the cheese ball a tangy and spicy flavour punch.
To add more cheesy flavours, I’ve used shredded cheddar cheese that has a sharp and almost earthy taste to the recipe. And to balance all the cheese I used crumbled bacon which has a nice harmony of salty and sweet flavours.
The capers in this recipe give a bold salty, and savoury flavour to the cheese ball. Of course, I’ve added salt and pepper to add a salty, warm, spicy and woody flavours.
Coating the Cheese Ball
I coated the outside of the cheese ball to give a beautiful visual presentation, I’ve used a few of the ingredients that are mixed into the recipe with a few additional ingredients.
To coat the outside of the cheese ball, I used green onions, crumbled bacon, fresh dill, and shredded cheddar cheese. And a few new ingredients I used are toasted sesame seeds and chopped pecans to give an extra crunch.
I really hope you give this one a try this holiday season. It’s a crowd-pleaser and really, really easy to make!
Be sure to snap a pic of you and the gang enjoying your cheese ball and tag me on Instagram (@andyseastcoastkitchen_)!
Ingredients:
Cheese Ball
- 500 gm cream cheese (2 standard blocks)
- 3 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- ¾ cup diced green onions
- ¾ cup crumbled bacon
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup chopped pickled jalapeños
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- 2 tbsp capers
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Coating
- ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
- ¼ cup diced green onions
- ½ cup crumbled bacon
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp fresh dill chopped
- ⅔ cup chopped pecans
Instructions:
- Let's do this! I love cheese balls; so exciting. First, place all the cheese ball ingredients into a large bowl (cream cheese, sour cream, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, green onions, bacon, shredded cheese, pickled jalapenos, dill, capers, salt, pepper). With a hand mixer, mix ingredients until smooth and fully combined.
- Next up, place plastic wrap flat down on the counter and scoop about 1 cup of the cheese mixture into the center of the plastic wrap. Wrap the cheese mixture totally and form into a ball shape with your hands. Place wrapped ball into the fridge for several hours or if in a rush, place in the freezer for 1 hour.
- While the ball is firming up, get the coating prepared. Place all the coating ingredients into a bowl and mix.
- Once the ball is firmed up, remove plastic wrap and place the cheese ball into the coating mixture. Press into the mixture and use your hands to help cover the whole ball. Treat it like a snowball.
- And that's really it! Serve on a plate with some Ritz crackers…or if you have any Bacon Dippers use those…remember them? Cheers!
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