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Blue Cheese Cranberry Ball is packed with creamy blue cheese, roasted cranberries, herbs, and spices.  It takes just a few minutes to whip up for any planned or unplanned dinner guests.

It is cranberry week. I know it seems like I have been posting a different theme every week and to be honest I really have. And this one sort of slipped through the cracks. But it’s an event that I personally enjoy because I think cranberries just don’t get enough credit.

This event almost did not happen

Now I’m going to try and be nice about this but initially there were two of us hosting this event and then the other person just kind of took it. I don’t know what happened. I just know that I like cranberries and I feel like they get a bad rap. They really need their own week to shine.

So, this week I’m trying to create some less than ordinary cranberry recipes for you all. Some of them might be a little bit more mainstream and some of them might not be. Either way I hope they get you thinking outside of the canned cranberry Jelly and the canned cranberry sauce.

Growing up we had canned cranberry sauce. But it was that one year. That one year that mom decided to make some cranberry margaritas that made me think outside the box for cranberries. Unfortunately, the recipe was less than favorable. It called for fresh cranberries in a drink. And as we all know fresh cranberries are rather crunchy. So, you can see where this is going.

I shared my restructured version of that recipe a few years ago. And in the description of the recipe I said that no one should have to chew their margaritas and that caught the interest of a very famous TV show. That show was called The Chew. For obvious reasons they were interested in sharing it and highlighting it because you shouldn’t have to chew your cocktails.

Now I know this recipe for cheese ball is not very different. There are lots of cranberry blue cheese cheese balls out there. This is just to get your feet wet for the recipes that will come this week. They are full of cheese. I think the only recipe that doesn’t have cheese in it is the sweet recipe. And there is only 1 sweet recipe.

This cranberry week is mostly about savory recipes.

Cranberries are very tart, and most people have a tendency to put them with sugar. I am embracing the tartness in these recipes and using the cranberries sparingly. So, this blue cheese cranberry ball has roasted cranberries on the inside. This means they’re not quite as tart. They’re very tender, not crunchy at all, and are very tasty. And paired with the stinky blue cheese; they’re a great combination. If you don’t like blue cheese by all means, try a goat cheese or you could even try like a Boursin cheese.

So, there’s roasted cranberries on the inside. And because every cheese ball has to be coated in something, there is a combination of dried cranberries, dried cherries, and golden raisins. Now I have a bag of dried cranberries in the pantry however I had this opened bag from the hermit cookies. So I said to myself, “Why would you bust into a new bag of just cranberries when you can use the opened bag that has cranberries along with Golden raisins and cherries?”

Cranberries are very tart, and most people have a tendency to put them with sugar. I am embracing the tartness in these recipes and using the cranberries sparingly. So, this blue cheese cranberry ball has roasted cranberries on the inside. This means they’re not quite as tart. They’re very tender, not crunchy at all, and are very tasty. And paired with the stinky blue cheese; they’re a great combination. If you don’t like blue cheese by all means, try a goat cheese or you could even try like a Bursa cheese.

So, there’s roasted cranberries on the inside. And because every cheese ball has to be coated in something, there is a combination of dried cranberries, dried cherries, and golden raisins. Now I have a bag of dried cranberries in the pantry however I had this opened bag from the hermit cookies. So I said to myself, “Why would you bust into a new bag of just cranberries when you can use the opened bag that has cranberries along with Golden raisins and cherries?”

So that’s what I did. I think I was going to initially use pecans to go with the dried fruits on the outside, but I opted for the pistachios instead. For some reason I thought the green pistachios and the mostly red fruits would be rather festive on the outside of the cheese ball. And looking at the pictures I think I’m right. Besides no disrespect to the nuts. They are delicious in their own regard, but pistachios have my heart . They are my favorite nuts of all time. Yes, even above macadamias and cashews.

You see what I mean about the red and green?

The green pistachios and red, dried fruit really do make for a festive blue cheese cranberry ball. And inside all that sweet, tart, and crunchy goodness is the rich and creamy blue cheese. It’s perfectly spreadable onto any cracker. Of course, my favorite is pictured there, but it really works with any cracker.

I initially had a seeded cracker. Which tasted delicious with the blue cheese and cranberries but made for a very monochromatic photo. That’s when I went through the pantry and just decided to use the Ritz crackers. They are golden and buttery and helped bring out the colors of the blue cheese cranberry ball.

Yes. I ate the cracker with the cheese on it. I had to. It was screaming, “EAT ME!” And besides, I couldn’t just let it go to waste. The blue cheese cranberry ball tastes so good! The blue cheese on the inside and the sweet tart cranberries outside. So so good.

Monday Cranberry Recipes

• Blue Cheese Cranberry Ball by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Cranberry BBQ Chicken Sandwiches by Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Cranberry Sauce with Caramelized Onions by Shockingly Delicious
• Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs by Our Crafty Mom
• Spiced Cranberry Apple Cider by Palatable Pastime
• Spicy Cranberry Soup by Magical Ingredients