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–+ servings
mini cheese ball with pretzel antlers, a dried cranberry nose, and black peppercorn eyes. more on a plate in the background next to some crostini.

Reindeer Mini Cheese Balls

Reindeer Mini Cheese Balls are creamy, savoury, bite-size holiday appetizers! Cute enough to steal the spotlight, with real cheese-ball flavour to match.
Prep Time 25 minutes
Chill Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 18 Cheese Balls

Ingredients

FOR THE CHEESE BALLS

  • 8oz (225g) cream cheese softened
  • 2 cups (about 200g) sharp cheddar finely shredded
  • 2 tbsp chives finely minced
  • 2 tbsp toasted pecans finely chopped
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1.5 tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 1-2 tsp maple syrup or honey

"FUR" COATING

  • ¾ cup finely chopped toasted pecans

DECORATIONS

  • pretzel twists or thin pretzel sticks (for antlers)
  • black sesame seeds, whole peppercorns, or mini chocolate chips (for eyes)
  • red candy pearls, a halved dried cranberry, or a small piece of red bell pepper (for noses)

Instructions

  • In a bowl, mix cream cheese until smooth. Stir in cheddar, chives, pecans, Dijon, Worcestershire, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and maple/honey. Cover and refrigerate 30–45 minutes. You want it firm enough to roll cleanly.
    white bowl with cheese ball mixture and a spatula.
  • Use a 1 tbsp cookie scoop (or a heaping tablespoon) and roll into balls. Place on a parchment-lined tray.
    hands rolling a mini cheese ball over a white bowl.
  • Roll each ball in your "fur" coating until fully covered. Press gently so it sticks.
    blue plate with mini pecan crusted cheese balls.
  • Add the reindeer parts (do this right before serving, or a couple hours ahead): Antlers: break pretzel twists in half and insert at the top, Eyes: press in black sesame seeds/peppercorns/mini choc chips, Nose: add a red candy pearl, cranberry piece, or red pepper bit.
    mini reindeer cheese ball on a plate with more, plus more in the background.

Notes

Use fully softened cream cheese. Cold cream cheese won’t blend smoothly and leads to lumpy balls.
Finely shred the cheddar for the best texture; thick shreds can cause cracking when rolling.
Chill the mixture before shaping so the balls hold their shape and coat evenly.
Add pretzel antlers just before serving so they stay crisp and don’t soften in the fridge.
Store finished cheese balls covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days; decorate with faces the day you serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cheese Ball | Calories: 41kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 79mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 25IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.2mg
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