Christmas Tree Cheese Ball

5 from 1 vote

This Christmas Tree Cheese Ball will be the hit of your holiday party. An easy to make appetizer that may be too pretty to eat!

Prep Time20

Chill Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 507kcal

Mix. Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, 1 teaspoon of dill, pickles, pickle juice, ranch powder, Worcestershire, Monterey jack, and bacon.
32 ounces (2 16-ounce) blocks of cream cheese, ¼ cup sour cream, ½ cup chopped fresh dill, ¼ cup chopped dill pickles, 1 tablespoon pickle juice from the jar, 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning powder, 1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, ½ cup chopped cooked bacon
Make a cheese “ball”. Form the cream cheese mixture into a cone shape (to represent a Christmas tree). Use a funnel to help form the cone if needed.
Chill. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and chill the “tree” in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Cut. While the tree is chilling, cut a star or a circle out of the pepper. This will be the star for the top of your tree. Place a small toothpick half way into the bottom of the star.
Finish. Remove the tree from the fridge. Unwrap it and smooth out the sides with the back of a spoon or clean hands. Add the chopped dill to the tree either by rolling it through the dill or, taking a pinch of dill and dabbing it along the sides of the cone until it is fully covered. Add random tomato pieces around the tree for ornaments and then top with the bell pepper star by pushing the other end of the toothpick into the top of the tree.
¼ yellow bell pepper, 2 tablespoons diced tomato, ½ cup chopped fresh dill
Serve. Serve with crackers and other snacks.

Serving Size: about 8 servings, ¼ cup each

Storage:

To Store: Wrap the Christmas tree cheese ball in a double layer of plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this cheese ball because it does not thaw well.

Tips:

The sour cream in this recipe is optional, but I like the way it breaks up the richness of the cream cheese.
Using cream cheese softened to room temperature will make it easier to mix and to prevent lumps.
If you decide to use a funnel to help shape your holiday cheese ball, I suggest a 5-inch standard funnel.
If you don't have plastic wrap, you could wrap parchment paper around the cone and seal it with tape (you want it to hug the tree tightly). Alternatively, place the cone in a large Ziplock bag, squeeze all the air out, and twist it around the cone. Do not use aluminum foil here.