Christmas cheese ball wreath is a cold appetizer of cream cheese, Monterey Jack and diced pepperoni, chilled in a bundt pan. The coating is parsley, almonds and sun-dried tomatoes, and nothing gets cooked. It serves ten, and the only real wait is an hour in the fridge.
Buy the dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, not the ones in oil, because this is the step the recipe hides in its tips rather than its ingredient list. Oil-packed tomatoes leave the coating slick, so it slides off the cheese in sheets. The dry ones grip.
Line the bundt pan with plastic wrap right up the sides, because set cream cheese will not release from bare metal. Press the mixture firmly into the base so there are no air pockets, or the wreath tears when you invert it. Cracks get hidden by the coating anyway.
Christmas Cheese Ball Wreath
Course: AppetizerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalUnlike most make-ahead appetizers this one does not freeze, since the dairy turns grainy, though it keeps four days in the fridge. With no bundt pan, shape it in a bowl and cut the center out with a cookie cutter.
Ingredients
16 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1½ cups finely shredded Monterey Jack cheese, room temperature
10 slices pepperoni, finely diced
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes (dry-packed, not in oil), finely chopped
⅔ cup smokehouse flavored almonds
⅔ cup fresh parsley, very finely chopped
Crackers or crostini, to serve
Directions
- Line: Line the inside and the sides of a bundt pan completely with plastic wrap.
- Mix: Beat the cream cheese, Monterey Jack, pepperoni, Italian seasoning and Worcestershire with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Chill: Press the mixture evenly into the lined pan, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to a day.
- Coat: Pulse the almonds and sun-dried tomatoes to crumbs and stir through the parsley, then invert the wreath onto a platter and press the mixture all over it.
- Rest: Leave at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before serving with crackers or crostini.
The shape is the easy part. The shopping is where this one goes wrong.
FAQs
Which sun-dried tomatoes do I buy?
The dry-packed ones in a bag, not the jarred kind sitting in oil. Oil coats the almond and parsley crumbs so they slide off the cheese instead of sticking. If oil-packed is all you can find, drain and blot them hard on paper towels first.
How far ahead can I make it?
A full day for the cheese itself, which is where almost all the work sits. Coat it on the day you serve, because the parsley dulls and the almonds soften overnight against the damp cheese. Keep the coating mix in a separate container until then.
Can I freeze it?
No, and this is the rare make-ahead appetizer that genuinely does not freeze. Cream cheese splits into a grainy texture on thawing and the parsley goes brown and limp. Four days in the fridge is the real limit.
What if I do not have a bundt pan?
Shape it in a round bowl lined the same way, then cut the middle out with a cookie cutter once it is firm. You lose the fluted edge, though the coating hides most of that anyway. A ring cake tin works too.
What should I serve it with?
Crackers are the obvious answer, and something with structure holds up better than thin water biscuits. These pine nut cheese crisps are sturdy enough to scoop with and save you buying a box. Crostini works if you want something warm on the table.
What else can I make in a wreath shape?
Wreaths photograph well, which is half of why they get made. A stromboli bread wreath covers the hot savory side of the table and uses the same round centerpiece idea. Two wreaths looks deliberate rather than repetitive.
The source lists the sun-dried tomatoes without specifying dry-packed in its ingredient list, though its tips section says oil-packed will stop the coating sticking. Its stated total of 1 hour 20 minutes also excludes the 15 to 20 minute rest its own method asks for before serving. Nutrition is the source plugin’s automatic calculation, excludes the crackers, and should be treated as an approximation.
