Add some savory to your holidays with these cheese balls

Culinary.net

These Savory Cheese Balls are not only simple to make, but also perfect for any holiday get-together or celebration. They're fun to create and even more enjoyable to dive into once finished. Texture and color are the name of the game with this recipe. The result is a beautiful array of red, gold and green, all on one plate.

Start by rolling cream cheese into balls and mixing up three bowls with powerful flavors to create the three different colors. The "green" bowl gets parsley, thyme, rosemary and, of course, some garlic, just for an extra kick of seasoning. The "gold" ball calls for caraway seeds, poppy seeds and garlic. Finally, the "red" ball includes cranberries and pecans.

Simply roll each cream cheese ball around gently until it's coated. It doesn't get any simpler than that. Display the array of cheese balls on a festive plate for something equally cheery and heavenly. Serve the plate with crackers, fruit or vegetables for complementary dipping options.

Savory Cheese Balls

Servings: 6-12

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese

2 tablespoons caraway seeds

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

2 cloves garlic, minced, divided

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

2 teaspoons thyme leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped

1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped

2 tablespoons pecans, chopped

crackers (optional)

fruit (optional)

vegetables (optional)

Cut each cream cheese block into three squares. Roll each square into a ball.

In small bowl, combine caraway seeds, poppy seeds and half the garlic.

In second small bowl, combine parsley, thyme, rosemary and remaining garlic.

In third small bowl, combine cranberries and pecans.

Roll two cheese balls in seed mixture, two in herb mixture and two in cranberry mixture.

Cut each ball in half and serve with crackers, fruit or vegetables, if desired.