Cheeseballs are a tradition for my family’s Thanksgiving dinner. I love to make them and I love to eat them. Each year I try a different recipe, and I haven’t found one I don’t like yet. This year I wanted to try a lighter version than the ones I have made in the past, and I knew I wanted to use herbs. This recipe is the result of several attempts to make the perfect herbed cheeseball. Enjoy!
I have used dried herbs in this recipe, but feel free to use fresh herbs if they are available in your area, only use about 1.5 times more fresh herbs than this recipe calls for because the flavor of fresh herbs is less concentrated.
Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. goat cheese
1 Tbsp. dried chives
1 Tbsp. dried basil
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. course-ground black pepper
2 tsp. fresh, finely grated lemon zest
4 oz. pine nuts
Choice of crackers for serving.
Instructions:
Let cream cheese and goat cheese sit at room temperature until softened (the length of time for this to happen depends on the warmth of your kitchen, but at least an hour). If your kitchen is too cool, or if you want to speed up the process, put the cheeses in the microwave for 30-second increments at 50% power. It might take several times but check after each time because you only want to soften the cheeses, not cook them.
When the cheeses are soft enough to blend together easily, stir until well blended. Add the herbs, black pepper, and lemon zest and stir until well-mixed together.
The mixture will be very soft at this stage. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours until firm enough to shape into a ball. Use moistened hands to shape into a ball and roll in the pine nuts to coat the outside of the cheeseball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to let the flavors blend together. You can serve this right away, but I prefer to let the flavors blend. Remove from refrigerator about an hour before serving. Place on a serving plate surrounded with crackers and enjoy!