PINE CONE CHEESE BALL

Pine Cone Cheese Ball image

Any cheese ball is a welcome addition to a holiday party spread, but when you bring one that looks like a pine cone, you're talking about a real showstopper.

Provided by Chef John

Categories Appetizers and Snacks Dips and Spreads Recipes Cheese Dips and Spreads Recipes Cheese Ball Recipes

Time 30m

Yield 16

Number Of Ingredients 10

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Ingredients

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
4 ounces goat cheese, softened
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
½ clove garlic, minced, or more to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 cup whole almonds, or as needed
3 large fresh rosemary sprigs

Steps:

Stir cream cheese, goat cheese, parsley, tarragon, thyme, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper together in a bowl until smooth and well-mixed.
Turn cheese mixture out onto a serving platter and form into a tapered oval shape to resemble a pine cone.
Starting at the tapered end, press almonds into the cheese cone so that the tip of the almond is facing out and down, and cheese cone is completely covered with almonds and resembles a pine cone. Place rosemary sprigs at the top to resemble pine needles.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 175.9 calories, Carbohydrate 2.9 g, Cholesterol 36.4 mg, Fat 16.4 g, Fiber 1.1 g, Protein 5.6 g, SaturatedFat 8 g, Sodium 129.7 mg, Sugar 0.7 g