EASY PEPPERMINT CHEESECAKE BALL

EASY PEPPERMINT CHEESECAKE BALL

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A HOLIDAY CHEESECAKE BALL

All of the ingredients for this dessert are super easy to find in your local grocery store. Don’t forget to pick up a roll of plastic wrap because you will need that to create the ball shape after you have mixed the ingredients together.

• cream cheese
• butter
• pure vanilla extract
• powdered sugar
• light brown sugar
• white chocolate chips
• candy canes or peppermints
• plastic wrap
• small bowl (about 6 inches in diameter)
• serving platter

WHITE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CHEESECAKE BALL

I love this recipe because you can make it days before your holiday party. Since the holidays are so hectic, any recipe that can be made ahead of time is a winner in my book. The cheeseball will last for about three days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can freeze any leftovers in an airtight container for up to one month. Be sure to thaw in the refrigerator, NOT the microwave, before eating.

I do not recommend storing this cheeseball as long as my family has done with ours.

EASY PEPPERMINT CHEESECAKE BALL

Print Pin

Equipment

• Hand mixer or stand mixer
• Mixing bowls
• Plastic wrap
• Spatula

Ingredients

• 16 oz cream cheese softened
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup light brown sugar
• 1 ¼ cups white chocolate chips divided
• 1 ¼ cups chopped peppermint candies or candy canes divided

Instructions

• In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter.
  
• Add the vanilla extract and both sugars, and beat the mixture until combined.
  
• Add ½ cup of white chocolate chips and ½ cup of chopped cnady canesand fold together with a spatula.
  
• Line a 6 inch bowl with a long piece of plastic wrap. You want enough plastic wrap to fold over and cover the top of the cream cheese.
  
• Pour the cream cheese mixture in the bowl on top of the plastic.
  
• Wrap the plastic wrap tightly around the cream cheese mixture.
  
• Place the bowl with the cheese ball in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to overnight to chill and firm back up.
• Mix the remaining white chocolate chips and chopped peppermints in a large bowl and place the chilled cheese ball on top.
  
• Using your hands, lightly press them into the cheese ball and roll it around until it is fully covered
  
• Place on a large serving platter with an assortment of cookies, pretzels, graham crackers, and other treats.
  

TIPS AND TRICKS TO CREATE A DESSERT CHEESEBALL

This is not a difficult recipe at all, but there are a few things you can do to make sure your peppermint cheesecake ball turns out perfectly!

• To crush the peppermints or candy canes, place them in a zippered food storage bag and hit them with a rolling pin. Alternatively, you can blitz them in a food processor for a few seconds.
• For even more peppermint flavor, you can swap in peppermint extract for the vanilla extract in the recipe.
• If you beat the softened cream cheese and butter too much, it will result in a soft cheeseball that will take longer to firm up. If this happens, put the cheesecake ball in the freezer for one hour to help it harden enough to form a ball. Then you should be able to cover the ball in white chocolate chips and chopped candy canes like the recipe calls for.
• You can make this dessert up to 2 days ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until ready to serve.
• If you are bringing the cheesecake ball to a holiday party, keep it in a cooler with an ice pack so it stays chilled and firm.
• Instead of making one big cheesecake ball, you can also create multiple single-serving cheesecake bites. Use a cookie scoop to measure the cream cheese, roll them into balls, and chill until firm. Then cover each ball in the white chocolate and peppermint mix.

SERVING A PEPPERMINT CHEESECAKE BALL

You can serve this dessert cheeseball with so many different foods to dip. Graham crackers, vanilla wafers, Oreos, and pretzels are always great options. If you can find them, peppermint Oreos are even better than regular Oreos!

If you are throwing or attending a cookie swap party, this cheeseball will be a huge hit. You can try everyone’s favorite Christmas cookie recipes AND dip them in a delicious cheesecake dip!