I’m a huge fan of nostalgic and retro holiday recipes. items like chilled shrimp cocktail, sausage balls, fruit cake and cheese balls are all crowd-pleasers with a touch of nostalgia. this oversized cranberry orange cheese ball with pistachios is the best christmas appetizer. It’s a sweet cheese ball bursting with flavors of fresh, juicy orange and chewy sweet dried cranberries, then rolled in crushed pistachios. serve the cheese ball with crackers on a decorative platter and you are ready to celebrate.
the inspiration:
this cheese ball was a customer favorite during my years running an organic meal delivery service. They were a highly-ordered catering item, with good reason. I loved the look of making the cheese ball oversized and grand looking on the outside along with the gorgeous white with studs of jewel-toned cranberries on the inside. it is so delicious spread atop your favorite cracker.
cheese ball ingredients:
- cream cheese: the base of our sweet cheese ball starts with cream cheese.
- mascarpone cheese: I also add sweeter mascarpone cheese to add flavor and texture.
- fresh orange: freshly-squeezed orange juice and freshly-grated zest are essential .
- fresh cranberries: I used dried cranberries inside the cheese ball and fresh cranberries to use as a decorative garnish.
- pistachios: make sure to choose unroasted if you prefer a more vibrant, green color.
- honey: to add a natural sweetness.
- salt: always add salt to sweets, it bring out the flavors!
- fresh thyme: an unexpected addition that is simply delightful with this flavor profile.
how to serve:
I serve this cheeseball chilled on a decorative platter with crackers. This is a gluten-free variety that I enjoy. You will want to select a sturdy cracker that holds up to the cheese ball. alongside the crackers, I added a bunch of fresh thyme and a couple handfuls of fresh cranberries to add a decorative touch and show what flavors are inside the cheeseball. This cranberry orange cheese ball with pistachios would be fabulous served alongside my sparkling hibiscus holiday punch.
Cranberry Orange Cheese Ball with Pistachios
Ingredients
- 2 blocks of 8oz cream cheese room temperature
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese chilled
- 1 Tablespoon fresh orange zest
- ¼ cup freshly-squeezed orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup dried cranberries coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon picked fresh thyme
- 1 cup pistachios unroasted yields a bright green color
- Crackers, fresh cranberries and fresh thyme bundle, for garnishing.
Instructions
- Begin by adding your pistachios to a food processor. Pulse a few times until a coarse meal appears- make sure it's not too fine, but processed enough to roll a cheese ball in.
- In a large bowl, add your softened room temperature cream cheese, cold mascarpone, orange juice and zest, honey, salt and picked thyme.
- With a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer, whip the mixture until fluffy and all ingredients are incorporated, 3-4 minutes. Fold in your dried cranberries.
- With a spatula, push the mixture toward the center of the bowl to begin creating a ball shape. Freeze the bowl for 10-15 minutes.
- On a plate or shallow bowl with a lip, add the processed pistachios. Pull the cheese ball out of the freezer, and with clean hands, form into a ball shape. Add the ball to the pistachios and rotate it all around, making sure all sides are covered in pistachios, while continuing to form a ball shape. Your hands will get really messy- its ok if it's not perfect. You can form more later after it chills further.
- Chill your cheese ball at least 1 hour until firm.
- Serve on a platter with fresh cranberries, fresh thyme and crackers with a cheese knife. I like to use a spoon to pop out a first bite as many guests may be wary to dive in first. Serve spread atop crackers.
My family loved this beautiful cheese ball. It was a big hit on Christmas Eve!
Love it!!! We enjoyed it on Christmas Day. Thank you so much 🙂