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A cheese ball covered in chopped pecans is decorated as a reindeer, with pretzel antlers, black olive eyes, and a cherry tomato nose, surrounded by round crackers on a wooden board.
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Reindeer Holiday Cheese Ball Party Appetizer

Easy cheese ball, coated in chopped pecans, and decorated to look like a reindeer
Author: Recipe Idea Shop

Ingredients

  • 2 packages 8 Ounce Cream Cheese softened
  • 2 ½ cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • 1 cup Chopped Pecans
  • 1 package Ranch Seasoning Mix
  • ½ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 Black Olives
  • 1 Cherry Tomato
  • 2 Large Pretzels

Instructions

  • 1.In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, ranch seasoning, and shredded cheddar cheese. Mix well.
  • 2. Roll mixture into a ball using gloves if desired.
  • 3.Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for about 4 hours or until it can be handled.
  • 4.Place the chopped pecans in a large bowl and break up into small pieces
  • 5.Scoop the pecans into your hands and press them into the cheese ball. This may seem difficult at first because the cheese ball will be a little hard from chilling in the refrigerator. Cover with pecans until the cheese ball is completely covered. Do not coat the flat bottom part of the cheese ball.
  • 6.For the antlers, break two large pretzels in half, and then remove the small center portions. You can also just use a whole pretzel for each antler.
  • 7.Stick an antler into the top left side of the cheese ball and repeat on the right top side with the other antler.
  • 8.Push the toothpicks into place for the eyes and nose, leaving the pointy part slightly poking out.
  • 9.Cut both olives in half, and use the side without the big hole as the eyes. Attach them to the toothpicks using the thickest edge of the inside of the olive.
  • 10.Attach the cherry tomato to the toothpick for the nose and gently push it into the cheese ball so it nestles close to the cheese ball.
  • 11.Serve on a platter with your favorite crackers and enjoy!

Notes

● Store in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 1 week. Do not freeze.
● Be sure to sort through your chopped pecans and break the larger pieces into smaller pieces. This makes it nicer for coating the cheese ball and looks better as well.
● My toothpicks were super long, so I broke them down so they were easier to work with.
● Be sure to sit the cheese ball in the refrigerator exactly how you want it to sit once it’s ready because the cheese ball hardens once chilled and however it hardens is how it will sit once decorated.
● If you don’t like the way the nose and eyes are sitting, it won’t hurt the cheese ball for you to pull the toothpicks out and reposition them.