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Home » Appetizers » Ornament Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Cheese Balls

Ornament Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Cheese Balls

Published: Dec 8, 2020 · Modified: Sep 21, 2022 by Mara · This post may contain affiliate links - as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Adorable ornament cheese balls make a fun holiday appetizer! They are a festive touch to serve for any holiday occasion with Christmas colors. With limited prep and only 5 ingredients, you can serve these Ornament Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Cheese Balls to your guests without missing a moment of the merrymaking.

Close up of Ornament Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Cheese Balls on a white place surrounded by wheat thins with a greenery above it in the background

Updated November 2021 with more details and information including recipe FAQs and Expert Tips.

Look not further for the BEST festive appetizer for the holidays! These Ornament Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Cheese Balls are super easy to make and the beautiful layers of red sun-dried tomatoes, green basil pesto, and white cheese mixture are perfect for Christmas. It's shaped and decorated like an ornament ball for event more festivity.

This is my favorite Christmas appetizer and I know it will be yours too! I make this every year and it is always a hit because of the creamy cheese layer, chewy sweet and tart sun-dried tomatoes, bright and herbaceous pesto, and toasty pine nuts. Make this recipe ahead for an easy, elegant, and fancy appetizer for your Christmas or holiday gathering. Finally, top it with the cutest Rolo candy ornament topper to really sell the "ornament" cheese ball (find the how-to at the end of this post).

Looking for a dessert ornament version? Check out Christmas Ornament Red Velvet Cheese Balls! Need even more winter dessert ideas? My Hot Chocolate Milano Cookie "Tiramisu" with Bailey's Irish Cream is a delicious, winter take on the classic tiramisu. It uses Milano cookies instead of ladyfingers and hot chocolate instead of coffee. This is an easy recipe that makes a great holiday dessert! 

A Ornament Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Cheese Ball on a white place surrounded by wheat thins with greenery and mini ornaments surrounding the plate

Why You'll love this Ornament Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Cheese Balls

  • Perfect make-ahead holiday appetizer
  • No more boring cheese balls. These are fancy and festive!
  • Flavor and texture bomb - creamy, garlicky, herbaceous, sweet-tart, and a bit nutty.

Ingredients

Ornament Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Cheese Balls ingredients photo made of 5 photo grid with a dark red rectangle box with white text.

See the full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Ingredient Notes:

  • Cream Cheese: Creamy & tangy! Make sure it is a room temperature to easily combine with goat cheese to create our cheese base.
  • Goat Cheese: sweet & earthy. Make sure it is a room temperature to easily combine with cream cheese to create our cheese base.
  • Pesto: I love basil pesto! It gives a herbaceous bite but you can also use a spinach pesto for a really green pesto. I love making homemade pesto but you can also use store bought too.
  • Sun-dried Tomatoes: an intense sweet-tart flavor that gives a beautiful peak of red!
  • Pine Nuts: a delicious toasty and nutty crunch. Pine nuts are pretty pricy, you can also use walnuts as a substitute.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Side by side photos. With an upper left number in white text with black outline. In the left photo there is a '1' with a white plate with toasted pine nuts. The right photo has a '2' with a bowl with goat cheese and cream cheese being beaten by a stand mixer.
  1. In a non-stick skillet, toast pine nuts over medium heat. Heat, shaking the pan and stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula until nuts are fragrant and golden brown (~ 3-5 minutes). Once golden, remove immediately from heat and transfer to a plate and set aside.
  2. In a large bow, mix cream cheese and goat cheese with a hand mixer until well combined. Then, add cheese mixture to a piping bag (or a sandwich bag). Cut the tip-off.
Side by side photos. With an upper left number in white text with black outline. In the left photo there is a '3'. A dollop of cream cheese is piped into each cavity of a red silicone semi-sphere mold. The right photo has a '4' and pesto is in each cavity of a red silicone semi-sphere mold.
  1. Pipe goat cheese into silicone molds. Fill to roughly ⅓ of the mold. Repeat with other cavities. Slightly wet fingers with water and smooth out the cheese mixture until even. (Gloves are recommended to wear).
  2. Add in pesto evenly into the 6 cavities and smooth out evenly using the back of a spoon.
Side by side photos. With an upper left number in white text with black outline. In the left photo there is a '5'.  '4' and pesto with sun-dried tomato is in each cavity of a red silicone semi-sphere mold. The right photo has a '6' and cheese mixture is pressed in each cavity of a red silicone semi-sphere mold.
  1. Top with sun-dried tomatoes and then toasted pine nuts evenly into the 6 cavities. Press in gently.
  2. Fill the molds to the top with the cheese mixture. Save the remaining cheese mixture in an airtight container in the fridge. Slightly wet fingers with water and smooth out the cheese mixture until even. (Food safe gloves are recommended to wear).
Side by side photos. With an upper left number in white text with black outline. In the left photo there is a '7'.
Plastic wrap is pressed on top of cheese mixture of red silicone semi-sphere. The right photo has a '8' and cheese mixture is smeared on top on a cheese semi-sphere.
  1. Place plastic wrap on top, press slightly, and place in the freezer for 1 hour.
  2. Remove the plastic wrap and place a dollop of the remaining cheese mixture onto 3 of the semi-spheres. Smooth out evenly with an offset spatula or spoon.
Side by side photos. With an upper left number in white text with black outline. In the left photo there is a '9'.
2 semi-sphere of pesto torte and pressed together to form a sphere surrounded by plastic wrap. The right photo has a '10" has a sphere of pesto torte on a white plate with wheat thins.
  1. Set aside a piece of plastic wrap. Take one semi-sphere with the extra cream mixture and one without and put them together to form a whole sphere. Wrap immediately in plastic wrap and use your fingers to smooth out where the semi-sphere meet. Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
  2. About 15 minutes prior to serving, take out your beautiful ornament cheese balls, unwrap, and place them on your serving tray. Top with the Rolo candy ornament topper. Enjoy with wheat thins (my family's favorite), baguette, crostini, or your cracker of choice.

Expert Tips

  • Keep it clean! Food-safe gloves are key to spreading and forming our cheeseballs! While you can definitely do this without gloves, food-safe gloves saves you time from having to continually cleaning your hands.
  • Room temperature is key. Take your goat cheese and cream cheese about an hour before you start this recipe. Having your cheese room temperature will make it easier to combine together.
3 Ornament Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Cheese Balls on a white place surrounded by wheat thins, with a hand holding a wheat thing headed towards the cheese ball surrounded by greenery and mini ornaments

Recipe FAQs

Can I make this ahead?

Yes! These can be made ahead of a day or two. Keep wrapped and refrigerated until ready to serve.

What should I serve this with?

Wheat thins are my family's favorite cracker to serve with this! But, when I was younger I loved to warm up a bread roll and then spread this in between.

I don't have silicone mold. Can I make this in another shape?

Yes! How I used to make them is just in a normal cereal bowl. You'll just want to refrigerate overnight.

  • Make It Homemade or Store Bought?
  • I love the taste of homemade pesto! It super easy with a food processor and only requires a handful of ingredients. But, to keep things easy, store bought pesto works fine too!
  • How do I create the rolo ornament topper?

    1. Cut a ribbon between around 6 inches.
    2. Create one loop and pinch with your thumb and index finger.
    3. Wrap the longer end of the ribbon around.
    4. Push the end into the opening you created and pull through.
    5. Adjust the size of your bow by tugging, pushing, and pulling!
    6. Until you’ve created a small bow.
    7. Cut ends at an angle. Optionally, you can carefully use a lighter and fray the ends for a cleaner look depending on the ribbon used.
    8. Carefully, hot glue a jump ring to the top of a Rolo candy
    9. Carefully, hot glue the bow between the jump ring and Rolo. This will hide the glue. Set aside. Repeat until you have 3 toppers in total.

    A 9 square photo grid showing how to make an ornament rolo topper. In the upper left corner is a red number with a black outline to showcase each step.

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    PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page? I always appreciate feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.

    Close up of Ornament Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Cheese Balls on a white place surrounded by wheat thins with a greenery above it in the background

    Ornament Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Cheese Balls

    Mara
    Ornament Pesto Sun-Dried Cheese Balls are a fun, festive addition to your holiday menu. It's vibrant with Christmas colors. Red sun-dried tomato, green herby garlic pesto, white creamy goat cheese and cream cheese with toasted pine nuts for a bit of crunch.
    4.37 from 19 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 5 minutes mins
    Freezing/Resting Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 457 kcal

    Equipment

    • Semisphere Silicone Molds
    • Plastic Wrap
    • Pastry Bag
    • Food-safe gloves (recommended)

    Ingredients
      

    Ornament Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Cheese Balls

    • 8 ounces goat cheese room temperature
    • 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
    • ½ cup pesto, use homemade or store-bought
    • ½ cup sun-dried tomato drained, dried on paper towl and diced into small pieces
    • 2 tablespoons pine nuts toasted

    Instructions
     

    • In a non-stick skillet, toast pine nuts over medium heat. Heat, shaking the pan and stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula until nuts are fragrant and golden brown (~ 3-5 minutes). Once golden, remove immediately from heat and transfer to a plate and set aside.
    • In a large bow, mix cream cheese and goat cheese with a hand mixer until well combined. Then, add cheese mixture to a piping bag (or a sandwich bag). Cut the tip-off.
    • Pipe goat cheese into silicone molds. Fill to roughly ⅓ of the mold. Repeat with other cavities. Slightly wet fingers with water and smooth out the cheese mixture until even. (Gloves are recommended to wear).
    • Add in pesto evenly into the 6 cavities and smooth out evenly using the back of a spoon.
    • Top with sun-dried tomatoes and then toasted pine nuts evenly into the 6 cavities. Press in gently. 
    • Fill the molds to the top with the cheese mixture. Save the remaining cheese mixture in an airtight container in the fridge. Slightly wet fingers with water and smooth out the cheese mixture until even. (Gloves are recommended to wear).
    • Place plastic wrap on top, press slightly, and place in the freezer for 1 hour. 
    • Remove the plastic wrap and place a dollop of the remaining cheese mixture onto 3 of the semi-spheres. Smooth out evenly with an offset spatula or spoon. 
    • Set aside a piece of plastic wrap. Take one semi-sphere with the extra cream mixture and one without and put them together to form a whole sphere. Wrap immediately in plastic wrap and use your fingers to smooth out where the semi-sphere meet. Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
    • About 15 minutes prior to serving, take out your beautiful ornament cheese balls, unwrap, and place them on your serving tray. Top with the Rolo candy ornament topper. Enjoy with wheat thins (my family's favorite), baguette, crostini, or your cracker of choice.

    Notes

    *This recipe can be made a day or two ahead. Just keep it wrapped refrigerator until ready to serve.
    Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two.
    Nutritional information for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. Please calculate your own nutritional information if you want it exact to what you make and use my calculations as a guide only.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 457kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 527mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1778IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 190mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Tag me on Instagram @makewithmara or hashtag #makewithmara

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. sandy says

      December 21, 2024 at 2:29 pm

      2 stars
      messy and don't look all that great.

      Reply
    2. Pam says

      December 16, 2024 at 12:35 pm

      I am going to make this for our community Christmas dinner.
      Two Questions:
      1) I can only eat cow cheese - is there any you recommend for making this recipe?
      2) It makes 3 ornaments -does each ornament make 6 servings or is the 6 servings for the total of the 3 ornaments?
      Thank you for a totally gorgeous recipe!!!

      Reply
    3. Linda says

      September 21, 2024 at 8:59 pm

      What do you think the best substitute would be for goat cheese?? I just CAN'T with goat cheese, but I want to make these!

      Reply
    4. Emily Walkerwicz says

      December 29, 2023 at 12:06 am

      Hi Mara. I made them and they looked and tasted great. As you know they are a bit time consuming to make but your easy to follow step by step instructions were so helpful. I took pictures of them but I am not sure how to send them to you. Thank you for your terrific ideas & recipes. Happy New Year!

      Reply
    5. Emily Walkerwicz says

      December 22, 2023 at 6:49 pm

      I am planning on making these adorable ornaments this weekend. However is it possible for you to post all of the 18 comments because I am only seeing 2 comments posted here. That will help me to see if anyone who made the recipe might have hints to assist me in avoiding any issues when I make them. Thank you so much. Happy Holidays to you.

      Reply
      • Mara says

        December 23, 2023 at 2:47 am

        Hi Emily! There are 18 votes on the recipe itself but only a handful of comments! Happy holidays to you!!

        Reply
        • Emily Walkerwicz says

          December 23, 2023 at 11:11 pm

          Thanks Mara. Appreciate your quick response. Wish me luck. I know our group of friends will love seeing them and with the tasty ingredients they will be a holiday hit.

    6. nancy hoekman says

      October 02, 2023 at 11:57 am

      Hi, I am wondering how long these can be kept frozen?

      Reply
    7. Gloria Gero says

      December 24, 2022 at 12:15 pm

      I made these adorable little ornaments. They were delicious.

      Only issue I had was confusion in the instructions. How many balls does it make? 3? I bought the silicone ball shapes, they were perfect. I used these at my Cookie Swap and they were a great hit.

      Thank you
      Gloria

      Reply
      • Mara says

        December 24, 2022 at 4:43 pm

        Hi Gloria! I am so glad you loved the cheeseballs!! This might be my favorite holiday recipe. I apologize for the confusion! Yes, this recipe does make 3 cheeseball ornaments.

        Reply

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