Last Fall season, I didn’t have time to make a salty snack for one of our league home matches. So I picked up a cheese ball and crackers from the grocery store on the way to the match.
The store only had 2 flavors, a port wine cheese ball coated in slivered almonds and the other was made of sharp cheddar and coated in pecans. I bought the port wine one.
I got to the courts and arranged the cheese ball and crackers on this really cute tennis-themed tray I got one year as a captain gift. It looked pretty good, and I just had to try it. To avoid ruining the presentation, I took some cheese off the bottom and popped the cracker in my mouth. Hmmmm. Can a cheese ball taste too cheesy? This one did!
To top off the disappointment, one of the opponents couldn’t eat it because she was allergic to nuts. Like deadly allergic. She was so allergic, she didn’t have any of our snacks because they were on the same table as my almond-covered cheese ball.
Whups! As I don’t have nut allergies, I never gave thought to others who might.
Well, this Fall will be different. Over the summer, I made a few cheese balls for get-togethers, and this one is a winner!
The Bacon Cheddar Pretzel Cheese Ball
This Bacon Cheddar Pretzel Cheese Ball is cheesy goodness for your mouth! I swapped the nuts for pretzels and added bacon because, BACON! For the best presentation and taste, I recommend using bacon you have to cook. Microwave bacon and bacon bits don’t taste nearly as good.
This Bacon Cheddar Pretzel Cheese Ball is easy to make and can be made days before your match. Serve it up with your favorite crackers (it’s AWESOME with pretzel chips, too).
I guarantee that this Bacon Cheddar Pretzel Cheese Ball is so good there wonโt be any left to take home. And everyone will be begging you for the recipe!
Bacon Cheddar Pretzel Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 8 oz Cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup Sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 cup Cooked bacon finely chopped
- 2 Green onions sliced
- A few dashes of hot sauce
- 1 cup Pretzels chopped
- Crackers for serving
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the shredded cheddar cheese and mix until just combined. Add the garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, bacon, green onions, and hot sauce. Mix until well combined.
- Spoon cheese mixture onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and form into a ball. Wrap cheese ball in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.
- When ready to serve, remove the cheese ball from the refrigerator. Place chopped pretzels on a plate. Unwrap cheese ball and gently roll in pretzels, coating well. Place on a serving plate and serve with crackers.
The best cheese ball ever!