My grandmother was a wonderful hostess and loved to entertain small gatherings of friends at her home. She was from New England (Massachusetts, specifically) and was particular about certain things, especially routines. I loved to visit my grandparents when I was young because her particular-ness created stability and predictability for me but it was also warm and “grown up”.

Each evening, before dinner, we had cocktails before dinner. As a kid I frequently had Fresca, but as I got older, and into my 20’s and 30’s I was able to have wine. Cocktail hour for special occasions, whether a visiting grandchild or a dear friend, was accompanied by a special appetizer.

Among family and friends my grandma’s cheese ball recipe was the talk of the town. Everyone looked forward to it and it was so much better than what you could buy in the store. She told me she got the recipe from a Cuisinart cookbook that came with her food processor, but I was never able to find it there. Instead, I have this 3×5 recipe card that bears her handwriting and fills me with wonderful memories of family, friends, and social practices that are hard to come by nowadays.

The tartness of the sharp cheddar, the kick of garlic, and the creamy blue cheese atop a hearty whole wheat cracker – that taste is what takes me back to the days sitting in my grandparents living room, chatting, laughing and sipping my Fresca.

Making this is easiest with a food processor, but if you don’t have one I’d recommend bringing the butter and cream cheese to room temperature and using a hand mixer.

You can either shred the cheese by hand or use the food processor, but I don’t recommend using pre-shredded cheese – it’s just not the same.

Start with a block of good sharp cheddar – I often use Tillamook, but any cheddar you particularly enjoy will work. Today, I’m using Cougar Gold.

Shred the cheese and set it aside.

With your food processor running, carefully drop in chunks of cream cheese. You could use a light cream cheese, but honestly, I’d go with regular. A cheese ball is not low calorie and it’s the holidays, so we’ll live a little.

Drop the butter garlic and blue cheese into the food processor. Once everything looks pretty well combined, turn off the food processor and remove the lid.

Add the shredded cheese, return the lid and pulse until everything is combined (you might have to do this a couple of times to get all the cheese in there) and scraping down the sides of the processor bowl if necessary.

Next, place the cheese mixture in a small bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and set it in the fridge for at least 3 hours. This allows the flavors to start to come together.

While you’re waiting is a good time to chop up the nuts you’ll need to put everything together.

Personally, I prefer pecans because it eliminates the risk of running into someone having walnut allergies and I like their taste profile.

Once the mixture is completely chilled, remove the big cheese ball to a clean work surface and divide into two smaller balls. Roll the balls in the chopped nuts.

At this point, you CAN serve the cheese ball, but I recommend preparing it at least a day in advance of serving to really let all the flavor come together.

Wrap the finished balls in clean plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed. They’ll keep for a week or can be frozen for a couple of months if you are really planning ahead.

When you’re ready to serve, just take the ball out of the fridge, remove the plastic and set on a serving plate for about 20-30 minutes to make it easier to dive into.

If I’m being fancy, I’ll serve it with Pepperidge Farm wheat crackers for a nice flavor complement – but I’ve also used wheat thins.

Rewrap any leftover in plastic and put it back in the fridge for up to a week.

Please let me know in the comments how your cheese ball came out, what you may have substituted or which fancy cracker you served it with.

It would please my grandma so much to know that I am putting her recipe out there for others to enjoy. I hope it becomes a family tradition for you too.

Eleanor's Cheese Ball

Katey

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Appetizer

Servings 2 balls

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces blue cheese
¼ cup butter
⅓ cup pecans or walnuts, crushed/chopped

Instructions

Shred the cheese and set aside.
Mince the garlic or put it through a garlic press.
Drop chunks of the cream cheese into the food processor and turn it on. While it is running, drop in the butter and blue cheese. Stop the food processor when well combined. Add the shredded cheese and pulse till combined.
Move the cheese mixture to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and chill for 3 hours.
In the meantime, chop the nuts and set aside.
Divide the cheese mixture into two and shape each half into a ball. Roll each of the balls in the nuts.
If not serving immediately, wrap each ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate until 20-30 minutes before you're ready to serve with your favorite crackers.

Notes

Cheese balls can be made a day or two in advance and kept in the refrigerator until ready to serve. I do find that a good wheat cracker complements the cheese the best, though you can use whichever cracker you like. My grandmother always used Pepperidge Farm wheat crackers (the best) or Wheat Thins (in a pinch), so that's where my flavor memory goes.

You can wrap these very well in plastic wrap and then in foil and freeze for a month or two - which can come in handy during the holiday season. Once you've served it though, just reform and rewrap then refrigerate it for up to a week - though I doubt it will last that long.