Quick and Easy

Bacon ranch cheese ball with crackers

A cheese ball is a magnificent, old-school way to feed a fair few peckish guests. This American-inspired recipe is full of salty bacon bits, creamy ranch seasoning and crunchy roasted pecans. Photography by Jani Shephered/Gatherum Collectif
Bacon ranch cheese ball with crackers
10
20M
5M
1H
25M

This recipe was first published in Taste magazine.

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Ingredients

Method

1.Fry bacon until crispy then chop or crumble into small pieces. Set aside to cool.
2.Use a wooden spoon or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to mix together the cream cheese, onion and garlic powders and season with salt and pepper. Mix until smooth.
3.Finely chop 2/3 cup of the roasted pecans and add to the cream cheese mixture. Add the parmesan, spring onion, half the parsley and half the bacon.
4.Mix to combine, cover bowl in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to firm up.
5.Mix together the remaining bacon, pecans and parsley.
6.Remove cheese from fridge and shape into a ball. Roll ball in the bacon-nut mixture to coat the outside, pressing the nuts in as you go. Refrigerate until needed.
7.Serve cheese ball on a platter with fresh apple slices and crackers. Store any leftover cheese airtight in the refrigerator.
  • Make in advance and forget about it until the party starts. – Try serving with slices of crisp apple and gluten-free crackers.
Note

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