Aunt Annie's Cheese Ball

Submitted by MsSally

"I'm asked to bring this to every family function. This is my great aunt's recipe and when she could no longer make it, I took over. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. You can use low-fat or fat-free cream cheese for this, but it will not get hard and form a ball. If you make it with low-fat ingredients, place the mixture in a bowl or decorative crock and top with crushed pecans. Cook time does not include chill time."

 

• Ready In: 16mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Serves: 20

ingredients

• 16 ounces cream cheese (softened)
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple (drained well)
• 1 tablespoon seasoning salt
• 2 tablespoons onions (minced)
• 2 tablespoons green peppers (minced)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
• 2 cups pecans (finely chopped, divided)

directions

1. Mix all ingredients except 1 1/2 c chopped pecans with mixer till throughly combined.
2. Form into two medium balls or one large ball. Wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate till hardened (about 1 hour or so).
3. Remove from fridge and undo wrap and roll in remaining crushed pecans.
4. Enjoy with assorted cracker, we like Triscuits and Club crackers best.

Reviews

[Blondemensan]

Great and unusual flavor-I am not a huge cheese ball fan, but this had such good ratings. Don't add or omit anything-the flavors are perfect.

 

[bluemoon downunder]

Top class cheeseball: ideal for Christmas parties! SO flavoursome and SO addictive. The blend of flavours was superb and having chopped pecans in the cheeseball as well as coating it: a brilliant touch! Several times I heard comments such as "I've just have to have some more of this cheeseball!" Predictably, it didn't last long! And yes, a couple of people were anxious not to leave without the recipe. The only changes I made were to use finely chopped roasted red pepper in place of the green pepper (always so superbly flavoursome) and to add 3 cloves of minced garlic and some chopped fresh basil. When you make this, make sure that you not only drain the ingredients thoroughly but that you press all the moisture out of them. I find that putting ingredients such as the pineapple, onions (and garlic) in a small colander and pressing down on them several times till there is no more liquid to be released does the trick. Wonderful recipe, MsSally, which I'll be making for several times over the next few weeks: thank you for sharing it! And I'm going to experiment some more with possible variations. I'm thinking I'll make one with a couple of tablespoons of well-drained canned salmon and dill. Made for Every "DAY" Is A Holiday.

 

[Starrynews]

Simple and delicious! I loved the idea of adding pineapple. I had to omit the onion in it (served it at my holiday party, which had two people allergic to onions in attendance), so I doubled the green pepper to ensure that the crunch was there. I had some leftovers, which I happily added (and loved) the onion in! In telling my mother about it, it turns out that my mom got a very similar recipe from her aunt awhile back, so it sounds like I will need to pass it to my nieces and nephews! Fortunately, it is a keeper and that will be easy to do! Thanks for sharing.

 

[twissis]

This recipe has been around for a long time in a slightly less-expanded version. I used to make it often & it was fun to revisit it. I made a half recipe for 2 of us of this easy, quick-fix & delicious recipe. I esp like this version for its add of the minced green pepper as it contributes so much flavour & texture. Congrats on your *Football Pool* win & thx for helping me revisit an old fave w/a new twist. :-)

 

[NorthwestGal]

I've sampled cheese balls at various parties, but this was my first attempt at making a cheese ball. It's a bit softer than some of the cheese balls I've tried, but still firm enough to hold its shape (which chilling it for several hours is the key). The flavor is a wonderful combination of sweet and cheesy flavors that make this the best cheese ball I've ever tried. I will definitely make this again, and will keep this on hand for our annual family Christmas party and other gatherings.