Holiday Ornament Cluster Appetizer (Printable)

Colorful cheese balls coated with nuts and herbs, decorated with rosemary sprigs for easy entertaining.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cheese Ball Mixture

01 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
02 - 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
03 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
04 - 2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
05 - 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
06 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
07 - Salt and pepper, to taste

→ Ornament Coatings (choose 3–4)

08 - 1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios
09 - 1/3 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
10 - 1/3 cup poppy seeds
11 - 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley
12 - 1/3 cup finely chopped roasted red peppers
13 - 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

→ Decoration

14 - 12 small rosemary sprigs

→ Serving (optional)

15 - Assorted crackers or sliced baguette

# How-To Steps:

01 - Combine cream cheese, cheddar, mozzarella, chives, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix thoroughly until smooth and well blended.
02 - Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions and roll each into a smooth ball.
03 - Place each coating ingredient into separate shallow bowls. Roll 3 or 4 cheese balls in each coating to create colorful clusters.
04 - Arrange cheese balls in groups of 3 or 4 on a platter, forming tight round clusters resembling ornaments.
05 - Insert a small rosemary sprig at the top of each cluster as a decorative hook.
06 - Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready. Pair with crackers or sliced baguette if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They're the kind of elegant appetizer that looks like you spent hours in the kitchen, but honestly takes just 25 minutes and zero cooking
  • Every single cluster is different with the colorful coatings, so your platter becomes this gorgeous edible decoration that guests actually want to eat
  • The creamy cheese base with that perfect hint of Dijon mustard is sophisticated enough for your pickiest friend but familiar enough that everyone comes back for seconds
02 -
  • Cold cream cheese is the enemy of smooth, beautiful cheese balls. Take those five minutes to let it soften on the counter, or your mixture will be chunky and your balls will crack when you roll them
  • The rosemary sprigs are delicate. Push them in gently once you've formed your clusters, or you'll squish the carefully crafted coatings you just worked on
03 -
  • If you want even more flavor complexity, stir a tiny bit of minced sun-dried tomato or fresh garlic into your cheese base. Just a teaspoon can completely transform the flavor profile.
  • The texture of each coating matters more than the flavor. Mixing soft and crunchy coatings on the same platter means every bite is interesting, so don't just pick all nuts or all soft ingredients.
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