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–+ servings
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Turkey Dessert Cheese Ball


Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 16 people
A dessert cheeseball decorated like a turkey on a white and wood cutting board.
This Turkey Cheeseball 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!

Ingredients  

Cheese Ball

Decorations

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

Calories: 378kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 126mg | Potassium: 196mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 489IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg
Find it online: www.sugarandsoul.co/turkey-cheese-ball/