Holiday Tree-Shaped Cheese Ball

An easy, eye-catching way to serve a holiday cheese ball. The best news? You can make it up to a month in advance! ...MORE + LESS -

3 packages (250 g each) cream cheese, softened

4 cups (1 L) shredded Cheddar cheese

2 tbsp (30 mL) basil pesto

1 tbsp (15 mL) grated onion

1/4 tsp (1 mL) yellow mustard

Red pepper sauce

1/4 cup (50 mL) finely chopped parsley or cilantro

1/4 cup (50 mL) pine nuts or sliced almonds

2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped red bell pepper

Piece of lemon peel, if desired

Assorted crackers, if desired

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1

Stir together cream cheese and Cheddar cheese; divide in half. Stir pesto into 1 half; stir onion, mustard and 2 or 3 drops pepper sauce into other half. Cover each half; refrigerate about 4 hours or until firm enough to shape.
2

Place cheese mixtures on cookie sheet. Shape each half into cone shape to look like a pine tree.
3

If desired, wrap each tree, label and freeze up to 1 month. Twelve hours before serving, remove trees from freezer. Thaw in wrapper in refrigerator.
4

Just before serving, roll trees in parsley, pressing it evenly onto trees. Press pine nuts onto trees in string form for garland. Press bell pepper pieces onto trees for ornaments. Top each tree with star shape cut from lemon peel. Serve with crackers.

Tip: Place the tree in the middle of a platter covered with a cloth napkin “tree skirt,” and surround it with crackers of all shapes and sizes for the “gifts.”
Tip: A combination of fresh basil and oregano instead of the parsley or cilantro gives this tree Italian flair!