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Jalapeño Pimento Cheese Balls

5 from 2 votes
By Kate
Jalapeño pimento cheese balls are made with real cheddar cheese, cream cheese and chopped pecans. They are such a great party appetizer for the holidays. They’ve got the same classic cheese ball flavor, in bite sized form. 
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Prep 15 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 18
Calories 116kcal

Special Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 8 ounces light cream cheese room temperature
  • ⅓ cup light mayonnaise
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1-2 jalapeños seeded and minced
  • 4 ounces pimentos
  • 4 slices bacon cooked and finely diced
  • 1 cup pecans finely diced
  • 18 pretzel sticks

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl mix cheese, cream cheese, mayo, all seasonings, jalapeño, and pimentos until well combined. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
  • In a shallow dish combine bacon and pecans and mix well.
  • Roll cheese mixture into ball and roll in bacon pecan mixture until well coated.
  • Insert a pretzel stick in the center just before serving.

Notes

  • If you don’t like mayo, you can substitute for sour cream.
  • Be sure the cream cheese is at room temperature or you’ll have a really hard time mixing.
  • Purchase a block of cheese and shred it for better flavor without additives.
  • Chop the pecans into small bits, that way they’ll coat better.
  • Don’t skip the chill step or you likely won’t be able to shape the mixture into a ball.
  • Keep the cheese balls uniform in size is by scooping them with a cookie scoop.Be gentle pushing in the pretzel sticks or they’ll snap in half.
  • cheese balls in the refrigerator. They should last up to a week.
  • Freezing: Wrap the cheese balls well in plastic wrap (without pretzels) and place it in a freezer safe zip top bags. Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and add pretzel sticks once completely thawed.

Nutrition

Calories: 116kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 5gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 231mgPotassium: 5mgSugar: 1g

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

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