Mini Pumpkin Cheeseballs

I'm so excited to share these little cheeseballs.  They are quite simple to make, but they are so tasty and so cute.  They would be ideal to take to a Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving meal, or an adorable addition to a charcuterie board.  The best part is the cheeseball mixture itself is a great base for whatever garnish you decide to roll your pumpkins in.  I used Everything Bagel Seasoning, Cajun Seasoning, Italian Seasoning and crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos.  You could also roll them into freshly chopped herbs, toasted sesame seed, black sesame seeds. smoked paprika, finely chopped nuts and more.  The flavors and ideas are endless.  Mr. Devilish Dish really liked the Italian Seasoning and the Cajun Seasoning the best.  The variety of color and flavor combinations are what makes these so cute.  Each batch of cheeseball mixture makes approximately 7 little pumpkin cheeseballs, so plan your toppings accordingly.  Simply serve them with a variety of crackers and sliced apples or pears and you've got the cutest little holiday snack platter around.  Bonus, you can make the cheeseball mixture in advance and create the pumpkins slightly in advance of serving.  A make ahead recipe we can all use this time of year, with a presentation that will WOW everyone that sees it!

The CUTEST little pumpkins in the patch.

The cheeseball ingredients are fairly simple.
That way you have a good base flavor 
before rolling the mini cheeseballs 
into a multitude of flavor toppings such as:

Crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos.
Use a mini food processor to finely crush toppings
like chips or nuts.

Scoop the mixture with a large 
cookie scoop so you have 7-8 uniform
sized cheeseballs.

Scoop them all out...

Roll them into assorted toppings
for varying colors.

Use a piece of butcher's twine to press
the look of the pumpkin segments into the cheeseballs.

Rotate the cheeseball until you have 8 segments.

Add a pretzel stick stem.

Place the pumpkin cheeseballs on a platter
and chill 1-2 hours before serving.

Opt for assorted toppings so you have 
a variety of pumpkin colors on your platter.

Aren't these just the cutest.

Serve with crackers or sliced apples and pears.

Choose toppings like Italian Seasoning,
Cajun Seasoning, Everything Bagel Seasoning,
crushed chips, chopped nuts, black sesame 
seeds, finely chopped fresh herbs.

Using the butcher's twine really helps 
make them look like real pumpkins.

What a fun holiday appetizer or
addition to a charcuterie board!

MINI PUMPKIN CHEESEBALLS

8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 1/2 cups finely shredded Cheddar cheese
1 packet (1 ounce) Ranch dressing mix
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
pretzel sticks for stems
Assorted seasonings, chopped nuts and herbs for garnish

Assorted crackers and sliced apples or pears for serving

In a mixing bowl or stand mixer combine the cream cheese, shredded cheddar, dry ranch seasoning and Worcestershire sauce until smooth.  Use a large cookie scoop to make small balls (about the size of a regular scoop of ice cream - slightly larger than a golf ball.)  

Roll the balls into assorted herbs and seasonings such as Italian seasoning, Everything Bagel Crunch, crushed Doritos chips, finely chopped nuts, etc...

Using a piece of butcher's twine, press into the cheese mixture in opposite directions to create the look of the pumpkin segments.  

Add a pretzel stick for the stem. Place onto serving platter.

Refrigerate for 1-2 hours to firm up before serving.