10 Minute Christmas Tree Cheese Ball
A festive twist on a retro favorite, this Christmas tree cheese ball is always the first thing to disappear in any holiday appetizer spread. In just 10 minutes, shape creamy Boursin cheese into a tree, roll it in pistachios, dried cranberries, and other festive goodies. It's easy to make ahead and fab served with your favorite crackers (crunchy baked pita chips are great), or fluffy no-knead chili cheese focaccia.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 181kcal
Ingredients
- 2 boxes of Boursin cheese or cream cheese or flavored cream cheese, 10.5oz/300g total
- 1 tablespoon pistachios finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried cranberries finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried apricots finely chopped
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes finely chopped
- 2 sprigs of rosemary finely chopped
- Mozzarella or Gruyere for the cheese star topper
Instructions
- Form the cheese tree.Lay out a piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface, then place the Boursin cheese on top of each other in the middle of it. Wrap the cheese in the plastic wrap tightly, then use your hands to shape it into a cone. Place it in the fridge while you prepare the decorations - this will make it easier to roll the cheese in them.
- Mix the decorations.Add the chopped pistachios, dried cranberries, dried apricots, sundried tomatoes, and rosemary to a large plate, and mix to combine. Spread it onto a single layer.Use a small star cookie cutter to cut a star from your Gruyere or mozzarella to top the tree.
- Coat the tree.Get the cheese cone from the fridge and unwrap it. Roll it in the decorations on the plate, pressing them into all sides so it's well coated. Stand it up, then fill in any gaps with any remaining decorations on the plate. Press the cheese star into the top of the tree, then transfer it to a serving plate, and enjoy with your favorite crackers or bread.
Notes
PREP AHEAD: You can coat the cheese ball tree the day before you want to serve it, then just keep it in the fridge until you're ready to serve. Let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, if possible, before serving, for the best texture. You can also form the cheese cone, then store it in the fridge for a week before you want to coat the tree and serve.
CAN'T FIND BOURSIN? Use flavored cream cheese, regular cream cheese or goat's cheese (or mix the two). Boursin even has a plant-based version, if you're catering for vegans.
SUBSTITUTIONS: You can play around with the topping decorations, based on what you like best. Swap dried cranberries and apricots for dried figs, mangoes, apples or raisins, swap sundried tomatoes for olives, or use pecans, walnuts, almonds or cashews instead of pistachios. For a nut-free version that still has a festive touch, use pumpkin seeds (pepitas). Use thyme, oregano, flat-leaf parsley, or sage instead of rosemary. If I have pomegranate seeds to hand, I like to stick them around the tree once I've coated it, for an extra festive touch.
Nutrition
Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 4.9g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16.5g | Saturated Fat: 10.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4.8g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 207mg | Potassium: 162mg | Fiber: 0.7g | Sugar: 3.2g | Vitamin A: 645IU | Vitamin C: 7.1mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 0.3mg