Pumpkin Cheeseball Recipe

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I'm really into pumpkin these days! The pies, the cakes, the cookies, the hot drinks, and now The CHEESEBALL! Yummy! There is just so much that can be done with this versatile autumn fruit besides the Halloween jack-o-lantern.

We did not have much space in our little repurposed dog kennel garden for large produce, but my grandson and I were thrilled to have successfully grown 1 pie pumpkin in its own 2 foot square pumpkin patch. He was so glad to finally be allowed to pick it. 

Even if you do not have your own homegrown squash, the canned variety will work just fine to make this wonderful hors d'oeuvre. Add your favorite snack crackers and you're good to go! 


One of the reasons I love this recipe is because it combines two of my favorite tastes: cheeseball and pumpkin pie. I went a little light on the onion of the traditional cheeseball and a bit light on the spices used in pumpkin pie but added enough of each to blend the flavors. I also excluded the dried beef that many recipes use in favor of a handful of pecans.

I would have added a photo of my cheeseball, but it didn't hang around long enough to pose for the photographer. It looked kind of pretty though with its pale orange color and a cute little celery stalk sticking out of the top.

Ingredients

2 cream cheese blocks (8 oz. each)

¾ cup solid pack pumpkin (canned is perfect!)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I prefer sharp)

1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple (drained)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon onion (finely chopped)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ cup chopped pecans

½ teaspoon salt or more to taste (I limit mine for health reasons and allow the salt on the snack crackers to add more salt flavor)

Directions

Allow the cream cheese to soften at room temperature. Mix cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and pumpkin together. Set this aside.

Mix the crushed pineapple, chopped onion, and pecans with the Worcestershire sauce and the spices. Gently mix this into the cheese and pumpkin mixture.

Shape into a ball. This can be made to look like a pumpkin by lightly scoring the sides with a knife and adding a short piece of celery to the top.

Serve with snack crackers.