Turkey Cheese Ball

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5 from 1 vote

This festive Turkey Cheese Ball is creamy, fun, and the perfect Thanksgiving appetizer to wow your guests.

Prep Time10

Chill Time20

Total Time30

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 183kcal

Author: Lisa Killian

Ingredients

16 oz cream cheese softened
¼ cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup green onions chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 cup pecan pieces roughly chopped*
2 candy eyes
1 meat stick like a slim Jim, for the neck
Pretzel Rods for the tail
1 Oreo for the head
1 piece candy corn for the beak
2-3 pieces candy melt or royal icing for adhering the eyes and beak
Crackers for eating with the cheese ball

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Coarsely chop your pecans and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Toast the pecans in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. They should be fragrant but not burned. Once toasted, set aside. *
1 cup pecan pieces
In a large bowl (or a KitchenAid mixer bowl), combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, garlic powder, green onions, salt, and pepper. Mix with a hand mixer or stand mixer until the ingredients are fully combined.
16 oz cream cheese, ¼ cup sour cream, 1 cup cheddar cheese, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ cup green onions, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
Lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the cream cheese mixture and place it in the center. Fold the plastic wrap up over the cheese mixture and form it into a ball. Place the ball, still wrapped in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until the mixture begins to firm.
While the ball is chilling, melt your candy melts. I recommend taking 2-3 candy melt wafers and microwaving them for 30 seconds at 50% power. Stir and repeat until melted. Then dab a little on the back of each eye and the candy corn, and place on the Oreo. Then place a little on the meat stick and affix the Oreo to it. Set aside until hardened.
2 candy eyes, 1 meat stick, 1 Oreo, 1 piece candy corn, 2-3 pieces candy melt or royal icing
Roll the ball in chopped pecans and set it on the plate or tray you will serve it on. Add pretzel rods as feathers. I recommend breaking rods in half and layering taller and shorter ones together. Then place your meat stick with the head attached in the cheese ball as the neck. My meat stick was a little too long, so I tore off a bit at the end to make it shorter.
Pretzel Rods
Serve with crackers and enjoy!
Crackers

Video

Notes

Tips and Tricks

*If you don’t have time or don’t want to use toasted pecans, then you can use regular untoasted pecans!
Leftovers: Store any leftovers in an air-tight container (like a zip-lock baggie) for 3-5 days.
Make Ahead: You can save time by making the cheese ball the day before, but wait to roll it in the pecans and decorate it until you are ready to serve.
Nutritional Info is an estimate and doesn't include the pretzels, meat stick, eyes, nose, face, candy melts, or crackers

Nutrition