This post is sponsored by Cabot.

I'm sharing with you three different cheese ball recipes including one for a bacon cheese ball. They are so easy to make and everyone, from your family to friends, will be wowed!

Recently, I shared with you how to build a meat and cheese board while working with Cabot Cheese and I'm back to share with you this wonderful recipe! Now you can add this cheese ball recipe to your meat and cheese board!

We are huge fans of Cabot cheeses in our house. We always have at least 2-3 blocks of Cabot cheese in our refrigerator and our grater gets a good workout!

First up, the bacon cheese ball is divine. I can't say I have a favorite among the three cheese ball recipes so I won't but you might be able to take a hint which one might be the most popular!

I love nuts and cheese together so this pecan covered cheese ball is really fun!

And last but not least, do you have a thing for sunflower seeds like I do? I love this cheese ball recipe with sunflower seeds. It has a nice texture and it's perfect!

What do you eat cheese balls with?

You can eat cheese balls with anything you like! I love eating them with different types of crackers! Put a little spreader on your plate so you can spread the cheese with.

What is a cheese ball made of?

• cream cheese
• ground cayenne pepper
• garlic powder
• black pepper
• soy sauce
• green onions
• Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• chopped pecans
• flat leaf parsley
• cooked bacon
• sunflower seeds

How long does a cheese ball last before it goes bad?

You can make your cheese ball recipe a day or two before you're going to serve it. Mine lasted about a week in the refrigerator and it tasted great. Once you refrigerate it, just let it sit on the counter for a few minutes and then it will be easier to spread on crackers.

I used Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese for this recipe, you can totally use any of your favorite Cabot Cheddar Cheeses!

First, grate your Cabot Cheddar Cheese.

Add softened cream cheese to a mixing bowl.

Add cayenne pepper, garlic powder, pepper, soy sauce and green onions.

And then mix with a rubber spatula.

Add the grated Cabot cheddar cheese to the bowl.

Mix together.

Then divide the cheese mixture into three. 

I put parsley and bacon into a smaller bowl and mix together.

Then, I added the chopped pecans into another bowl.

And then the sunflower seeds in another bowl.

Roll in each 1/3 of the cheese mixture into a ball.

Then, place in the bowls. And the cheese ball in sunflower seeds.

Roll another cheese ball in the bacon and parsley.

Looks so good, doesn't it?

And then roll the last cheese ball in chopped pecans.

I put them on squares of wax paper on a plate and then covered them. Place in the refrigerator at least one hour before serving.

This cheese ball recipe is so easy to make! I know you'll love it with Cabot Cheddar Cheese.

It's perfect for snacking or as an appetizer to serve your family before dinner. Or you can add it to a grazing table!

Looking for another wonderful recipe to add on to your list to make this summer? You should definitely try my beer cheese fondue, it's always a hit with my family as well!

Print

Cheese Ball Recipe

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 3 cheese ball appetizers

Ingredients

• 2 packages 8 ounces each cream cheese, softened
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 green onions sliced
• 1 package 8 ounces Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated

For the outside:

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 3 Tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
• 4 slices bacon cooked
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds I used salted ones

Instructions

• In a medium sized mixing bowl, add softened cream cheese, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, pepper and soy sauce. Mix thoroughly with a rubber spatula.
• Add green onions and the grated Cabot cheddar cheese and mix.
• Divide the cheese mixture into three.
• Roll each one into a ball.
• Roll one cheese ball in chopped pecans.
• Mix parsley and bacon in a small bowl. Roll the next cheese ball in parsley and bacon.
• Roll the last cheese ball in sunflower seeds.
• Cover and refrigerate at least one hour. (Can be made a few days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.)

Other recipes using cheddar cheese:

Cheddar Cheese Cloverleaf Rolls
Two Ingredient Cheese Crisps
Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup
Three Cheese Mac and Cheese

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Cabot. I only work with brands that I love and I always share with you my own opinions.

The post Cheese Ball Recipe appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

For the holidays…I'm all about pecan pie. A longgg time ago, I think Curtis and I were married for a couple of years, I brought a pecan pie to my in-laws' house for Thanksgiving dinner. It was actually this exact recipe. It was the morning of Thanksgiving, we had stayed the night over. I was just getting out of the shower and I was combing my hair. I could hear my mother-in-law yelling at my father-in-law.

And then I heard him say, that's not my grandma's pecan pie. She kept shooshing him and telling him to be quiet. I kept hearing him get louder and louder. I went out to the kitchen and was laughing. I found it hilarious and wasn't the least bit offended because I knew it wasn't his grandma's recipe, it was Martha's! My mother-in-law was worried he would upset me but I couldn't stop laughing.

My father-in-law might have a fit if I brought these to dinner and DEFINITELY not his grandma's pecan pie recipe because it's not a real pie but I love them.

This is another recipe using Bisquick, they are super easy to make, you can make them a couple of days ahead so you can focus on the recipes you need to make the day of. They are portable and fun to eat because you can eat them with your hands!

I had to give you the side view so you can see the ooey gooeyness of the filling!

Whisk the Bisquick and the powdered sugar.

Make sure you're using cold butter for this part. I cut them into cubes.

And then I cut the butter into the crust mixture.

I covered my baking dish with foil. This is the way I make brownies too…makes for easy removal from the pan and easy almost no clean up of the pan!

Press the crust mixture into the pan with your hands.

After baking, put the baking dish on a cooling rack. Then work on the filling.

Chop up the pecans.

After mixing the wet ingredients, add the chocolate chips and the pecans. I like to use mini chocolate chips!

All ready for the oven.

Again, make these ahead of time. They are so so so easy to make…you can't miss! Everyone will be so impressed and they won't believe how easy they were to make!

Be sure to check out other ideas for make ahead recipes and follow the hashtag #GetYourBettyOn on facebook, Pinterest and instagram!

Print

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Bars Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 18 bars

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups Original Bisquick mix
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter cubed

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Bar Filling

• 4 large eggs beaten
• 1 cup dark corn syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
• 3/4 cup semisweet miniature chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350°F. Cover a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish with foil (leaving an overlap of foil on the ends) and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, add Bisquick mix and powdered sugar and whisk together.
• Using a pastry blender or two forks, cut in cold butter cubes into the mix and sugar. Mixture will be crumbly. Take crust mixture and press into the bottom of the foil-lined baking dish.
• Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
• Prep the filling. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with an electric hand mixer. Add corn syrup and vanilla extract and beat until thoroughly mixed. Add melted butter and mix thoroughly.
• Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips and pecans.
• Pour the filling over the cooled crust. Bake for 29 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and the pie bars have set.
• Remove from the oven and carefully remove the foil using the flaps on the ends and place on cooling rack. Allow to cool at least 30 minutes.
• Place foil with bars back into baking dish and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• When ready to serve, remove the foil from the baking dish again and use a sharp to cut into 18 or 36 bars.

Notes

I tweaked ever so slightly from this recipe.

Disclosure: I’m thrilled to be working with Betty Crocker to #GetYourBettyOn! I only work with brands that I love and only share with you my honest opinions. This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Betty Crocker. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Bars appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

I have mentioned it before but before this year, I didn't make my own pie crust, I always bought it. But ever since my friend, Suzanne, and I cooked & baked together earlier this year, she made me very comfortable with making my own pie crust! I have cooked with several friends this year and I think there's no greater joy. I love cooking with family and friends. I should do it more often.

When it came time to think about making a pie for Thanksgiving for Curtis' family, I knew I wanted to make a spin of a pie my old friend and co-worker, Kathy, used to make all the time and bring into work. She called it Kentucky Derby Pie, I call it heaven in a pie! I modified it slightly to have even more chocolate chips.

And when I served it at Thanksgiving, my mother-in-law declared it chocolate chip cookie pie! I laughed and agreed, what a great name for this pie! When I made it again to shoot it for this post for McCormick, who I love working with, I wanted to try out my mini pie plates. Love them!

First situate your pie crust into your pie plates. Look how unpretty mine are. They don't have to be perfect and if you overhandle and warm up your pie crusts, throw them in the refrigerator and let them chill for at least 10 to 15 minutes.

Then, work on the filling. You will not believe how easy this filling is. I mix up the dry ingredients. Lots of chocolate chips and…

some chopped pecans.

Mix it up really good.

Then, add the McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract and melted butter.

Mix until the filling is completely combined.

Fill up your pie plates and bake for 35 minutes if you're using 5-inch pie plates like I did or about 50 minutes if using a 9-inch pie plate.

Seriously, it's like a chocolate chip cookie in a pie. Two desserts combined. Done. You know this will be perfect for your holiday party…let's do it! And just FYI, Curtis' family loved this pie so much, they kept all of the leftovers. I made two whole pies and brought it over there…we weren't allowed to even bring a slice home!

Print

Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookie Pie Recipe

Servings 3 5-inch Pies or 1 9-inch Pie

Ingredients

Pie Crust (makes enough for 3 5-inch pie crusts or 2 9-inch pie crusts

• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening cut into cubes and well-chilled
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut into cubes and well-chilled
• 4 to 6 Tablespoons cold water

Pie Filling

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup pecans chopped
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 eggs beaten

Instructions

• Add flour and salt to the bowl of your food processor. Pulse to mix it. Add cold shortening and butter to the food processor and pulse for 30 to 60 seconds until pea-sized shapes of butter and flour start to form.
• While pulsing, stream in water 1 Tablespoon at a time. Pulse until ingredients are moistened and dough begins to form and pull away from the sides of the food processor. You may not use all of the water. Remove dough from food processor and divide in half or thirds (depending on what type of pie plate you're using. Mold each half into a circle and flatten. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
• Working with each divided pie crust at a time, remove the refrigerator and place the pie crust between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll to about a 1/8 inch thickness, using a rolling pin. Place pie crust on pie plate and cut off excess. Using your fingers crimp the top edge of your pie crust. Place pie plate in the refrigerator.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• To a medium-sized mixing bowl, add flour and sugar and mix with a rubber spatula. Add chocolate chips and mix until coated in dry mixture. Add pecans and do the same thing. Add melted butter and McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract and mix to combine. Add eggs and mix just to combine.
• Pour pie filling into prepared pie crusts and bake for about 50 minutes if using a 9-inch pie, otherwise if using a 5-inch pie plate, bake for about 35 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream, optional.

Notes

Pie Crust Dough Recipe from the KitchenAid Best Loved Recipes Cookbook, Pie Filling modified from a friend of a friend's recipe for Kentucky Derby Pie

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by McCormick®. All opinions are always my own and I only work with brands that I love.

The post Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookie Pie appeared first on The Little Kitchen.