The cheeseball is an irresistible snack. It’s their versatility and inviting shape that make them so alluring. You can make them sweet or savory, grapefruit-sized or personal, and it turns out they provide a perfect canvas for theming. Let’s start with Easter and turn the cheeseball into a snack worthy of any egg hunt.
Cheeseballs are a fun, retro party snack made from a combination of cheeses and flavorings. The blend is then shaped into a sphere and set in the fridge until firm. Usually the outside is coated in something flavorful and decorative, like shredded cheese, herbs, nuts, or fried garlic. Transforming the classic orb into an Easter-themed snack is as simple as slightly altering the shape so it resembles an egg, and decorating it like one, of course.
Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
You can start with any cheeseball recipe you like (or if you’re making your own concoction try this formula). Once you have all of the ingredients mixed together and you’re ready to shape it, grab a bowl or a wide cup. I used one of those oversized mugs that the characters on Friends drank out of (I didn’t love the show but I loved an absurdly large mug). Line it, loosely, with a sheet of plastic wrap. For a large cheeseball, using 16 ounces of soft cheese or more, double line the bowl with one sheet of wrap going in the opposite direction of the first sheet, like a plus sign.
Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
Dump the cheeseball mixture into the center of the wrap. The mug should support the sides. Press the mixture into the wrap to eliminate air pockets and draw the ends of the plastic wrap together like a dumpling. Lift the cheeseball out, twist the top of the plastic wrap a bit and use both of your hands to cradle and shape the ball into an egg shape, with the bottom serving as the large end and the twisted top as the tapered end of the egg. Don’t worry about wrinkling from the plastic wrap, the decorations will cover that. Decide how you want your egg to sit on the serving plate, on its side or on the bottom end, and place it on a plate in that orientation. It’ll make a slightly flat spot, and that’s a good thing for stability. Place the entire thing in the fridge for about an hour, or until mostly firm.
Photo: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
When the cheeseball is firm, decorate it before serving. The inside mixture of my cheeseball-egg is flavored with cream cheese, shredded cheddar and jack cheese, everything bagel seasoning, and chives. I decorated my egg with chopped scallions, the same bagel seasoning, almonds, fried garlic, and chili flakes. If you’re making a sweet cheeseball, cover the outside with candy, nuts, or chocolate chips. You can go as detailed as Fabergé or just roll the whole thing in a plate of crushed fruit loops. Serve on a nest of shredded cheese with pretzels, toasted sourdough, cannoli crackers, or the newly discovered hard boiled eggs your nieces and nephews battled to find.
