Festive Turkey Cheese Ball (No-Bake Dessert)
This Turkey Cheese Ball is a fun Thanksgiving dessert that combines 4 simple ingredients with chocolate chips and chopped pecans for a sweet treat! Dip in and enjoy it with pretzels, fruit, graham crackers, or even vanilla wafers!
Thanksgiving Needs A Dessert Turkey Too!
This year’s big Thanksgiving dinner calls for two birds – a perfectly tender Roasted Turkey and this sweet Turkey Cheeseball! Not only will this dessert impress the guests with its festive appearance, but they’ll also be raving about how delicious it is!
And the best part is that it’s actually incredibly easy to make! So easy that you could even whip up two – one for the kids to enjoy, with the second being devoured by the adults! Trust me, this Chocolate Chip Cheeseball will be a hit!
Rebecca’s Recipe Review
Taste: Slightly tangy, sweet cream cheese filling is complemented by the buttery nuttiness from the chopped pecans. Meanwhile, the semi-sweet chocolate chips provide just the right amount of chocolaty goodness!
Texture: The cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and brown sugar are beaten together. This creates a wonderfully creamy base for this dessert! Afterward, chopped pecans and chocolate chips are mixed in. Giving this Turkey Cheeseball a pleasing crunch to match its creaminess!
Ease: 6/10
Pros: The result is a super fun, festive dessert that makes a great dessert center piece!
Cons: The melted chocolate feathers take time to form and carefulness to adhere to the cheese ball.
Would I Make This Again? Yes, this isn’t just a festive centerpiece, it’s also super delicious!
Dessert Cheese Ball Ingredients
- Cream Cheese
- Salted Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Light Brown Sugar
- Chopped Pecans
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Vanilla Extract
- Red, Yellow, and Orange Candy Melts
- Candy Corn
- Candy Eyes
- M&Ms
How To Make A Festive Turkey Cheese Ball
- Cream the cream cheese and salted butter together in a large mixing bowl.
- Beat in light brown sugar, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
- Mix in chopped pecans and semi-sweet chocolate chips until just combined.
- Scrape the mixture into a mound onto a large piece of plastic wrap using a rubber spatula, then shape it into a ball. Then transfer the cheeseball into the fridge to chill.
- Make the turkey feathers by melting the orange, red, and yellow candy melts in separate bowls.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add a small dollop of melted chocolate. Then use a spoon or offset spatula to form the dollop into a leaf shape. Make as many of these as you can and then transfer the baking pan to the fridge to allow the chocolate to harden.
- Mix the remaining semi-sweet chocolate chips and pecans, and then pour them onto a tray or plate.
- Roll the chilled cheese ball into the chocolate pecan mixture, covering it all over.
- Press the chocolate feathers into the back third of the cheese ball to look like turkey feathers.
- Melt chocolate chips in the microwave and then dip the candy corn nose, candy eyes, and M&M gobbler into the melted chocolate. Adhere the candy to the front of the cheese ball to create the turkey face.
Rebecca’s Tips
- Plastic Wrap – The easiest way to form the cheeseball into the perfect ball is to first wrap it in plastic wrap. This makes it mess-free as you work it to form the cheese into a ball!
- Assembling – This Thanksgiving Turkey Cheeseball isn’t easy to move once it’s assembled. So, it’s best to assemble it on the serving tray or plate on which you plan to serve it.
- Feathers – Use plastic spoons and a lined baking sheet with parchment paper to make the feathers. Makes cleaning up a breeze and removing the hardened feathers easier!
- Kitchen Tweezers – Kitchen tweezers (affiliate link) make attaching the nose, eyes, and feathers to the turkey with melted chocolate easy and quick!
Turkey Dessert Cheese Ball Storage Instructions
You can wrap the serving tray with the cheeseball in plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container. Then store the cheese ball in the fridge for up to 3 to 5 days.
How To Make A Turkey Cheese Ball Ahead Of Time
I’d recommend only making the covered cheese ball and storing it in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble it. Then, an hour or so before serving, attach the feathers, eyes, nose, and gobbler. Attaching the feathers and face makes it harder to cover and store.
More Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes
- Easy Pumpkin Cake Recipe – Topped with a silky smooth, tangy cream cheese buttercream!
- Brown Sugar Apple Pie – A homemade pie that comes out of the oven in under an hour!
- Mini Pumpkin Bundt Cakes – Fun pumpkin-shaped cakes made with a boxed mix!
- French Silk Pie – Chocolate filling nestled in an Oreo pie crust!
- Easy Maple Walnut Pie – Best enjoyed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!
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Turkey Dessert Cheese Ball
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Hand/Stand Mixer
- Spatula
- Serving tray
- Plastic Wrap
Ingredients
Cheese Ball
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup salted butter softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1½ cups chopped pecans divided
- 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Decorations
- ½ cup red candy melts
- ½ cup yellow candy melts
- ½ cup orange candy melts
- 2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 candy corn for the nose
- 2 candy eyes
- 1 red M&M
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter.16 ounces cream cheese, ¼ cup salted butter
- Beat in brown sugar, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.½ cup powdered sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add in ½ a cup of the chopped pecans and ½ a cup of the semi-sweet chocolate chips and mix just until just combined.1½ cups chopped pecans, 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Scrape the mixture with a rubber spatula into a mound onto a large piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a ball. Place the cheese ball into the refrigerator for at least two hours to chill. This can be prepared up to 3 days in advance.
- Make the feathers by melting the orange, red, and yellow candy melts in separate bowls according to the package instructions.½ cup red candy melts, ½ cup yellow candy melts, ½ cup orange candy melts
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add a small dollop of melted chocolate and form a leaf shape using a spoon or offset spatula. I recommend making as many as will fit on your baking sheet (but at least 12 to 15 total). Place in the refrigerator to harden.
- Mix together the remaining cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and pecans and pour them out on a tray or plate.1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1½ cups chopped pecans
- Once the cheese ball has completely set, take it out of the refrigerator and carefully roll the cheese ball in the chocolate pecan mix and cover it all over. You may need to use your hands to press the mixture into the ball to fill in the sparse areas.
- Now press in the feathers to the back third of the cheese ball to look like turkey feathers.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips in a small bowl in the microwave. Then dip the candy corn nose, candy eyes, and m&m gobbler into the melted chocolate and adhere to the front of the cheese ball to create a face! I recommend using kitchen tweezers to dip the facial pieces into the melted chocolate and attach them to the cheese ball since they are so small!1 candy corn, 2 candy eyes, 1 red M&M, 2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
Notes
- Plastic Wrap – The easiest way to form the cheeseball into the perfect ball is to first wrap it in plastic wrap. This makes it mess-free as you work it to form the cheese into a ball!
- Assembling – This Thanksgiving Turkey Cheeseball isn’t easy to move once it’s assembled. So, it’s best to assemble it on the serving tray or plate on which you plan to serve it.
- Feathers – Use plastic spoons and a lined baking sheet with parchment paper to make the feathers. Makes cleaning up a breeze and removing the hardened feathers easier!
- Kitchen Tweezers – Kitchen tweezers make attaching the nose, eyes, and feathers to the turkey with melted chocolate easy and quick!
- How Do I Store This Dessert Cheese Ball? You can wrap the serving tray with the cheeseball in plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container. Then store the cheese ball in the fridge for up to 3 to 5 days.
- Why Am I Having A Difficult Time Forming The Cheese Into A Ball? It’s likely that the cream cheese mixture was overbeaten. When that happens the ingredients become over-soften, making it harder to form the cheese into a ball. You can try popping it in the fridge to get it to harden enough to form it into a ball.
- Can I Make This Turkey Cheeseball Recipe Ahead Of Time? Yes! I’d recommend only making the covered cheese ball and storing it in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble it. Then an hour before serving, attach the feathers, eyes, nose, and gobbler.
Nutrition
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