Bacon-Jalapeño Cheese Ball
It’s Bowl week, which means it’s time to talk party food! We've said it before and we'll say it again. Dessert is our favorite meal of the day, with appetizers coming in a close second. Dips, chips, spreads, little bites… we love it all. Which naturally makes this one of our favorite weeks of the year. To get you ready for the big game, we'll be sharing some new favorite appetizers this week, starting with this memorable cheese ball. You may remember that we broke our cheese ball dry spell last year with a recipe we got from our grandma, the world’s best pimento cheese ball. Later on in the year, we came across this bacon and jalapeño-loaded cheese ball and have been dying to try it ever since. We finally got around to it and realized that we had waited much, much too long to make it. In order to make up for lost time, we proceeded to eat almost the entire thing in one sitting. True story.
Even though we've been seeing more recipes for cheese balls recently, we still feel like they give off a little bit of a retro vibe. They remind us of our parents having company over in the 80’s. We are all for making the cheese ball the coolest thing since sliced bread once again. Seriously, what’s not to love? You mix together a ton of cream cheese, shredded cheese, then an assortment of other add-ins and seasonings. Chill, then slather on cracker after cracker, after cracker. You might call it an appetizer. We might call it lunch. Tomato, tomahto.
This particular cheese ball is what we'd refer to as the ultimate cheese ball. In addition to the cream cheese and cheddar cheese, it’s also packed with bacon, chopped jalapeños and seasonings and spices like cumin, cayenne and Worcestershire sauce that make it the crème de la crème of cheese balls… if there were such a thing. It is most definitely a cheese ball that is evenly fitting for your Bowl get together!
One year ago: White Russian Winter Milkshake
Two years ago: Cream Cheese-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeños
Three years ago: Mushroom-Herb Macaroni and Cheese
Five years ago: Lemon Meringue Pie
Bacon-Jalapeño Cheese Ball
Yield: 10 to 12 servings A good old-fashioned cheese ball gets the works with bacon, jalapeños and lots of flavor!- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) Cheddar cheese, shredded (about ½ cup)
- 6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and chopped, divided
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped, divided
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground cumin
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup (24.75 g) chopped pecans, toasted
- In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, half of the bacon, half of the jalapeños, the garlic, parsley, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, ground cumin and cayenne pepper until well combined.
- On a large plate, stir together the remaining bacon, the remaining jalapeños and the toasted pecans until evenly combined. Shape the cream cheese mixture into a ball. Roll the ball in the pecan mixture until coated on all sides.
- Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Serve with your favorite crackers. Leftovers should be wrapped tightly and can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutritional values are based on one serving
- Yield: 10 to 12 servings
- Prep: 15 minutes
- Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 ounces ( 226.8 g ) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 ounces ( 56.7 g ) Cheddar cheese, shredded (about ½ cup)
- 6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and chopped, divided
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped, divided
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) ground cumin
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup ( 24.75 g ) chopped pecans, toasted
Method
- In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, half of the bacon, half of the jalapeños, the garlic, parsley, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, ground cumin and cayenne pepper until well combined.
- On a large plate, stir together the remaining bacon, the remaining jalapeños and the toasted pecans until evenly combined. Shape the cream cheese mixture into a ball. Roll the ball in the pecan mixture until coated on all sides.
- Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Serve with your favorite crackers. Leftovers should be wrapped tightly and can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
