Sun-dried Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Cheese Ball

Sun-dried tomato & roasted red pepper cheese ball.

I made this for my daughter's 4th birthday party. It was a huge hit! I was going to add fresh chives but the store I went shopping at didn't have any. Maybe next time.

We went with a Mickey Mouse theme for the party so I decided to do the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cheese ball. I used paprika to make the ball red. Chili flakes were an option that I didn't think the kids would appreciate and I couldn't think of any other red food that would be good for coating a cheese ball.

I cut Mickey's head out of two layers of craft foam and attached some toothpicks between the layers with glue. It stuck into the top of the cheese ball perfectly.

The roasted red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes both came packed in oil so I drained and blotted them with paper towel before chopping them.

Sun-dried Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Cheese Ball

Makes 1 cheese ball

Ingredients

• 1 8oz brick of cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup finely minced sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/3 cup minced roasted red pepper
• 1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• paprika
• crackers for serving

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together except for paprika. I put on some (new and clean) rubber gloves and used my hands. It was the easiest option to get everything mixed well. I was able to roll the mixture in a ball, but if yours is too soft, put it in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up a bit, then roll it in a ball and coat the whole thing with paprika. Refrigerate until ready to use. I recommend making it 2 days in advance. This is what I did and it was perfect.

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