Pine Cone Cheese Ball Recipe (Classic Holiday Appetizer)
These Pine Cone Cheese Balls are pine cone shaped holiday appetizer made with cream cheese, bacon, and other savory ingredients. You'll love this dish!
First things first, we'll need about a cup of slivered almonds. Make sure you pick out the ones that aren't broken to maintain the aesthetic of our pine cone.
We're going to toast these in the oven at a temperature of about 350 ℉ for about eight minutes.
After they're toasted, allow them to cool completely before using them. Be careful while handling them to avoid breaking any.
How to Make the Cheese Mixture
Next, we're going to beat some cream cheese until it is smooth. Make sure to scrape down the sides of your bowl so all of the cream cheese is well incorporated into the mixture.
To this, we're going to add some finely minced bacon pieces, either some garlic powder or juice extracted from a small garlic clove, freshly ground black pepper, dill (you can use either frozen or fresh), mayonnaise, and ranch.
Beat all these ingredients together on the lowest speed setting of your mixer for about thirty seconds, or until everything is well blended.
How to Assemble the Pine Cone Cheese Ball
Now, we're going to scoop out our cheese mixture onto a serving platter. Using your hands, mold it into a teardrop shape. This will start to resemble a pine cone.
Now, take your cooled almond slivers and insert them into the cream cheese mixture. Make sure to lean them towards the pointy side of the cheese ball to enhance the pine cone look.