Description
Spider Cheeseballs are a spooky and fun Halloween appetizer made with a creamy blend of cream cheese, goat cheese, herbs, and spices, rolled into balls and coated with black sesame seeds. Pretzel sticks create spider legs, making these cheeseballs a festive and delicious addition to any Halloween party platter.
Ingredients
Scale
Cheese Mixture
- 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 ounces goat cheese
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried dill weed
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Coating and Decoration
- 1/2 cup black sesame seeds
- 2 cups pretzel sticks
- Additional pretzels and crackers for serving
Instructions
- Mix the Cheese Base: In a medium bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese and extra virgin olive oil until smooth and creamy. Then incorporate the goat cheese, chopped green onions, minced garlic, dried dill weed, dried oregano, kosher salt, and black pepper until well combined. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Form Cheeseballs: Using your hands, roll the chilled cheese mixture into balls—1 1/2-inch diameter balls for small ‘spiders’ and 3-inch diameter balls for larger ‘spiders’.
- Coat with Sesame Seeds: Roll each cheese ball in the black sesame seeds to evenly coat the exterior, giving the spiders a dark, textured look resembling a spider’s body.
- Assemble Spider Legs: For small spiders, break four pretzel sticks in half to create eight legs, and insert four legs on each side of the ball. For large spiders, use eight whole pretzel sticks, placing four legs on each side of the larger balls.
- Chill Before Serving: Cover the assembled Spider Cheeseballs with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let them firm up and flavors meld. Serve chilled alongside additional pretzels and crackers for dipping and nibbling.
Notes
- Make sure to chill the cheese mixture well before rolling to make shaping easier.
- You can substitute black sesame seeds with finely crushed black peppercorns or black olives for different textures and flavors.
- If pretzel sticks are too thick to easily insert, gently break them for better placement as spider legs.
- These cheeseballs can be made a day ahead; just keep them covered tightly and refrigerated.
- For a spicier version, add a pinch of cayenne pepper or smoked paprika to the cheese mixture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 spider cheeseball (small)
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
