Dessert Cheese Ball

This dessert cheese ball recipe is sponsored by Cheerios™.  All opinions are my own. #SummerOfCheerios

This delicious dessert cheese ball is made with cream cheese, chocolate, nuts, and Cheerios™.  It’s the perfect dessert to share, and it makes everyone smile!

Dessert Cheese Ball

Cheese balls were the celebratory staple of my childhood.  It just wasn’t a holiday without some form of cheese that had been liberally anointed with crushed nuts and surrounded by an army of crackers.

Usually, those cheese balls of yore were cheddar based; or, if you were lucky, someone had sprung for the fancy “port wine” cheese (my favorite).

All those savory delights were a welcome addition to birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.  However, there was one thing missing.

There was a never a sweet cheese ball.

Since the kids have been home this summer, I’ve been racking my brain for activities to stave off the dreaded cry of “I’m bored!”  Making recipes with the kids passes the time easily and lets them be creative as well.

Inspired by those long-ago cheese balls, I’ve decided to make a sweet cheese ball version for the family to enjoy.

It’s a pleasure to sit inside in an air-conditioned kitchen and have some fun while avoiding the summer heat outside!

All you need are a few simple ingredients and some thoroughly washed hands.

For this recipe, I’m using Cheerios™ from Walmart.  They’re very easy to find in the cereal aisle.

You can use this coupon to save even more!  There are so many varieties to try.

• Cheerios™
• Honey Nut Cheerios™
• Fruity Cheerios™
• Multi-Grain Cheerios™
• Frosted Cheerios™
• Apple Cinnamon Cheerios™
• Chocolate Cheerios™

When you plan your shopping, you can also think about variations on this sweet cheese ball.  Here are some ideas.

More Dessert Cheese Ball Ideas

1. Apple Cinnamon Dessert Cheese Ball: Cream cheese, dried apple chips, cinnamon, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios™.
2. Trail Mix Dessert Cheese Ball: Cream cheese, Multi-Grain Cheerios™, raisins, peanuts, M & M’s.
3. Fruity Dessert Cheese Ball: Cream cheese, a variety of dried fruits (cranberries, apricots, cherries, blueberries, etc.), Fruity Cheerios™.
4. Beehive Dessert Cheese Ball: Cream cheese, honey, almond slivers, Honey Nut Cheerios™.

Tips for Making a Dessert Cheese Ball

• I recommend setting up a workstation in your kitchen ahead of time so that you have all of your ingredients at hand.  You don’t want to be holding a ball of cream cheese in your hand when you suddenly realize that you forgot to open the bag of chocolate chips.
• It’s much easier to form the ball when the cream cheese is very cold and firm.  If you try to form a ball when the cream cheese is too warm and soft, it will be too squishy to handle.
• If you like, you can make any cheese ball into mini cheese balls.  Just pinch off smaller amounts and roll them in the coatings just as you would a larger cheese ball.
• For parties, you can prepare the cheese ahead of time, and then roll the ball in the toppings at the last minute.

Print

Dessert Cheese Ball

This delicious dessert cheese ball is made with cream cheese, chocolate chips, and Cheerios. It's the perfect dessert to share, and it makes everyone smile!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 6

Author Katie Moseman

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• Chocolate Cheerios™
• Mini chocolate chips
• Chocolate grahams for dipping

Instructions

1. Remove the cream cheese from the packaging and shape it into a ball.
2. Press Chocolate Cheerios™ into the surface of the cheese ball one at a time until covered. Leave little gaps so you can also add mini chocolate chips.
3. Press mini chocolate chips into the cream cheese gaps between the Chocolate Cheerios™.
4. Serve with sturdy chocolate grahams or cookies for dipping.