Jolly Snowman Cheese Ball Recipe

Cheese is probably the best thing you can put on your appetizer spread during the holidays. With the exception of vegans and (some) lactose-intolerant folks, most everyone enjoys cheese in some form, be it hard, soft, on crackers, or melted into a creamy queso. One criminally underrated way to serve cheese, though? In a ball.

Cheese balls have been around for quite some time. Unsurprisingly, they're mostly Midwestern, peaking in popularity somewhere around the mid-20th century. They then fell out fashion, but just like everything else from decades past, they've had a comeback. These days, cheese balls have slowly but surely made their way back to appetizer platters (though if you're from Wisconsin, it's likely they never left).

Let's be real, though: There's nothing wrong with a flavorful ball of cheese. In this recipe by Michelle McGlinn (a former Wisconsinite and therefore expert on cheeses), the cheese ball gets a festive upgrade with white cheddar cheese. The snowy cheese and layers of herbs make for the cutest snowman centerpiece for your holiday table and will seriously impress your guests — so much so, they might just change their minds about cheese balls.

The base of most cheese balls requires cream cheese, which acts as a kind of edible glue. You'll need quite a few packages, so start stocking up — and make sure to leave them at room temperature during the day so you can easily mix things together. 

Next, you'll need both grated and shredded white cheddar — grated because it folds easily into the cream cheese, and shredded because it looks a little more like snow. From there, you'll just need fresh parsley, dill, and chives, as well as garlic powder, onion powder, and salt for seasoning. Lastly, grab a carrot for the nose, a black olive for the eyes (and mouth, if desired), and a grissini stick for the arms. Remember to pick up some crackers for serving, as well.

Add cream cheese, grated cheddar, dill, chives, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt to a large bowl.

Stir until completely combined.

Divide cheese mixture into 1 larger section and 1 smaller section, then roll each section into a ball.

Spread the shredded cheddar onto a clean surface.

Roll both balls in the cheddar to coat.

Place the bigger ball onto a serving platter, then top with the smaller ball.

Stick the carrot into the smaller ball to form the nose of the snowman.

Cut small circles out of the olive and place them above the carrot for eyes. Optionally, use the remaining olive pieces for a mouth.

Poke the grissini sticks into the body of the snowman to create arms.

Serve with crackers.

Although it's sort of fun to put a snowman together as a group project, sometimes it's easier to prep your holiday appetizers well before guests arrive. Fortunately, the small and large cheese balls for this recipe can be rolled up to 2 days in advance. Simply follow the recipe, combining the cheese ball ingredients and rolling the balls in shredded cheese. From there, we recommend storing each ball separately (or at least not stacked together) to avoid squishing the snowman in the fridge — or worse, having gravity squish him for you.

When you're ready to serve, take the snowman out of the fridge to soften slightly for about an hour. Otherwise, guests will have a hard time dipping crackers into the firm cream cheese. Reshape the snowman, if needed, then add the nose, eyes, and arms. Our pro tip? Grab a few of your youngest family members and ask them to help build Mr. Snowman — just make sure everyone's washed their hands first.

We love serving an assortment of crackers with our cheese balls, ranging from mild water crackers to sweetly flavored fig crackers. Because this snowman is ranch dressing-inspired, the cheese also tastes great with baby carrots, raw broccoli florets, and slices of cucumber. 

Though the snowman tends to steal the show, you can also serve the cheese ball with an assortment of other great appetizers, like puff pastry bites, charcuterie skewers, or mini meatballs. If you do have some vegans and lactose-intolerant guests at your party, be sure to give them options like creamy black bean dip, homemade hummus, or vegetarian meatballs to enjoy, as well. 

Cheese balls are not usually enjoyed during the main course, but if you'd like to offer this as a side dish, plan to serve it with meat and vegetables, like seared steaks, braised parsnips, and roasted chicken, which can benefit from the extra-herby cheese on the side. If you have leftovers, consider melting the cheese into a super-flavorful alfredo sauce to serve over pasta.