Halloween Cheese Ball Witch Hat

This Halloween Cheese Ball Witch Hat will make a festive appetizer for your Halloween party. This homemade cheese ball is easy to make and tastes magical.

Cheese balls are pretty standard fare for parties. Whenever I serve a plain cheese-ball, however, it just sits there next to all the more exciting food. A few spoonfuls are scooped out onto crackers. The rest goes to waste.

That wasn't going to happen at our Halloween party this year. I decided to make my cheese ball the center of attention on the food table.

The witch hat cheese ball looked stunning and it was gobbled up quickly. Everyone raved about the flavor. I added crispy Pancetta, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta cheese to the cream cheese. Yum!

If that doesn't sound rave-worthy to you, you can check out my other cheese ball recipes. Any of them can be shaped into this witch-hat-shaped Halloween appetizer.

Ingredients

thinly sliced pancetta - You could use bacon instead.
cream cheese - You'll need 12 ounces of softened cream cheese (1 ½ blocks). You can use full-fat or low-fat cream cheese. Either will work fine.
creamy Feta cheese or creamy goat cheese - This will add a tangy, rich, and slightly salty flavor to your cheese ball.
sun-dried tomatoes - I used tomatoes that were stored in olive oil. I drained and patted them dry. They were nice and plump.
garlic
blue corn tortilla chips - These chips are very dark, almost black, in color. You could also use black tortilla chips if you can find them.
Broomstick - 1 thin breadstick and a sun-dried tomato

Instructions

This recipe is published in my Hungry Halloween cookbook.

Chop the thinly sliced pancetta into small pieces. 

Heat a skillet over medium heat and cook the pancetta until crispy. 

Remove it from the skillet with a slotted spoon. 

Place on a few layers of paper towels.  Allow it to cool completely.

Reserve 1 tablespoon of cream cheese to make the witch hat band.

Put 11 ounces of softened cream cheese and ½ cup of creamy feta cheese or creamy goat cheese in a mixing bowl.  Use an electric mixer to completely blend cheeses together.

Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes.  Add tomatoes, garlic, and crispy pancetta to the bowl.  Stir until well combined.

Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture to make the hat brim.

Line a 5"-6" kitchen funnel with plastic wrap. Spoon the cheese mixture into the funnel. Fold plastic wrap over the cheese and press down firmly to mold the cheese.

You can hand-shaped the cone if you prefer.

Place blue corn tortilla chips in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to fine crumbs. Place crumbs in a shallow bowl.

Unwrap the cheese and roll in the crumbs, leaving the bottom crumb free.

Cut a 5"-6" round piece of cardboard. Cover it in aluminum foil. 

Spread the remaining sun-dried tomato/pancetta cheese mixture evenly onto the cardboard. 

Attach the crumb-coated cheese in the center of the round.

Sprinkle tortilla chip crumbs all over the rest of the witch hat. Set the hat on a serving platter. 

Optional decoration: Set a long thin bread stick on the plate. Cut some sun-dried tomato to look like a broom and attach it to the breadstick using a dab of cream cheese.

Place remaining 1 oz. cream cheese into a piece of plastic wrap.  Roll it into a very long log.  Cut off four small pieces to create a buckle. 

Wrap the long log around the brim of the witch hat. 

Add the buckle.

Storage

Chill the witch hat until ready to serve. The tortilla crumbs will soften over time. I recommend rolling the cheese ball in the crushed tortilla crumbs the day you plan to serve it.

Variations

This cheddar Cheese Ball Cauldron is rolled in poppy seeds instead of crushed blue corn tortilla chips. You can use the cheese ball recipes interchangeably and then roll them in either poppy seeds or tortilla chip crumbs. Both the cauldron and witch hat are fun Halloween cheese ball ideas.

Check out my Mini Monster Cheese Balls recipe to see how to make small cheese balls for your Halloween party.

Related Recipes

You might also like to make these other witch-themed recipes for your Halloween party. Be sure to check out all my Halloween recipes too. I have shared over 100 fun appetizers, desserts, and dinners too.

Crescent Roll Witch Hats

Candy-Filled Witch Cookies

Nutella Fudge Witch Hat

Recipe

Print

Cheese Ball Witch Hat

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

 

Shape a delicious sun-dried tomato cheese ball into a witch hat for your Halloween party. It's easy and fun!

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American, Mediterranean

Keyword: appetizer, cheese ball, halloween, witch

Servings: 12

Calories: 216 kcal

Author: Beth Klosterboer

Ingredients

Witch Hat Cheese Ball

• 4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped into small pieces
• 12 oz. (1 ½ blocks) cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup creamy Feta cheese or creamy goat cheese
• 6 oz. sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4-6 oz. blue corn tortilla chips, crushed into fine crumbs

Broomstick

• 1 thin bread stick
• 1 sun-dried tomato

Instructions

Witch Hat Cheese Ball

1. Pour the chopped pancetta into a skillet and heat over medium heat until crispy. Drain on a paper towel and cool completely.

2. Reserve 1 ounce of cream cheese to make the buckle later.

3. Combine the remaining 11 ounces of softened cream cheese with ½ cup of creamy feta cheese in a mixing bowl.  Use an electric mixer to completely blend the cheeses together.

4. Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes, minced garlic, and crispy pancetta and mix until well combined.

5. Line a 5"-6" kitchen funnel with plastic wrap. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture. Spoon the remaining cream cheese mixture into the funnel. Fold plastic wrap over the cheese and press down firmly to mold the cheese. Or you can shape the witch hat cheese ball by hand by wrapping plastic wrap around the cheese and molding it into a cone.

6. Place the blue corn tortilla chip crumbs in a shallow bowl. Unwrap the cheese and roll it in the crumbs, leaving the bottom crumb free.

7. Cut a 5"-6" round piece of cardboard. Cover it in aluminum foil.  Spread the remaining sun dried tomato/pancetta cheese mixture evenly onto the cardboard. Attach the crumb coated cheese in the center of the round.

8. Sprinkle tortilla chip crumbs all over the rest of the witch hat. Set the hat on a serving platter. 

9. Place remaining 1 oz. cream cheese into a piece of plastic wrap.  Roll it into a very long log.  Cut off four small pieces to create a buckle.  Wrap the long log around the brim of the witch hat.  Add the buckle.
10. Chill hat until ready to serve.

Broomstick

1. Set a long thin bread stick on the plate.  Cut some sun dried tomato to look like a broom and attach to the bread stick using a dab of cream cheese.

Recipe Notes

Store your cheese ball in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The tortilla chip crumbs will soften over time. If you are making this for a party, you can make the cheese and shape it ahead, wrap it, and refrigerate it. Then, roll it in the tortilla chip crumbs and decorate it on the day of your party. 

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Beth Klosterboer

Hi, I'm Beth Jackson Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com

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