Skull shape for Halloween
Halloween is coming so, of course, we need an appetizer! This Pepperoni Cheese Ball works great because, like all cheese balls, you can pick the shape. So go ahead and make a football for a tailgate party, but if you're having a Halloween party, use your head . . . or skull shape instead.
Ingredients for this Cheese Ball
I adapted this recipe from sugardale.com and it's a crowd pleaser. Almost all cheeseballs start with cream cheese and shredded cheese, but this one adds pepperoni and a packet of Italian dressing seasoning to rev up the flavor. Green olives are an optional add-in. I added some because I already had the olives out for decorative purposes.
The original recipe also calls for rolling the ball in Parmesan cheese. I skipped this, since I wasn't making an actual ball and I didn't think the Parmesan was strictly necessary. But, go ahead and try it if you wish. As we say in Wisconsin - MORE CHEESE!
How to make this Pepperoni Cheese Ball
This mixture comes together quickly. Simply let the cream cheese soften before you begin, mix all the ingredients together. You'll need to chop up the pepperoni and olives first.
If you do not have a full-sized food processor, a mini-processor will do a great job to chop the pepperoni into smaller pieces. If going this route, simply use an electric hand mixer to combine the chopped pepperoni with the rest of the ingredients.
Once I got a full-sized food processor, it became even easier to make this cheese ball. Chop and mix all in the same container!
Shape and decorate into a Skull Cheese Ball
Now to the decorating: For Halloween, I made this into a skull shape. Many cheeseballs need to be refrigerated before shaping, and it will depend upon how warm your cream cheese is. If it seems very soft, place it in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes to chill it before trying to shape it.
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I used the end of a rolling pin to make hollow eye sockets and halved an olive to make the eyes.
The teeth are sliced almonds and the serving knife provides the perfect accent for a straight, steely (and creepy) mouth.
I also played a little with the eyes, leaving the pimento in the olive at first, then removing and finally re-stuffing with a little Kalamata olive. They all look good to me, so pick your favorite and go with it!
This Halloween Skull Cheese Ball is Spook-tacular!
📖 Recipe
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Pepperoni Skull Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 8 oz pepperoni diced
- 16 oz cream cheese softened
- 3 cups Italian cheese blended shredded
- 1 package 0.6 oz Italian dressing mix
- ¼ cup green olives chopped (optional)
- olives and sliced almonds for decorating
Instructions
- Soften cream cheese at room temperature for at least 20 minutes.
- Chop pepperoni and olives in a food processor.8 oz pepperoni, ¼ cup green olives
- Add cream cheese, dressing mix, and shredded cheese. Process well to combine.16 oz cream cheese, 1 package, 3 cups Italian cheese blended
- Form into a skull shape and decorate.olives and sliced almonds
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
More holiday cheese balls
- Turkey Shaped Cheese Ball for Thanksgiving
- Green Onion Cheese Ball for Christmas
- Football Cheese Ball for game day!
Sam Blake
666? Spooky, but fun!
Sula
VERY spooky!
Leah
Okay I’m definitely going to need to try this pepperoni skull cheese ball! My husband is going to be OBSESSED, all of his faves in one dish. It sounds pretty tasty to me too 😊
Sula
Oh yes its too fun and really yummy!
Addie
So fun and festive for Halloween!
Sula
Just what Halloween should be!
Elizabeth Swoish
Such a fun way to fashion a cheese dip! Thanks for sharing.
Sula
You're welcome - enjoy!