Make cute and delicious appetizers for Halloween. These furry-looking mini monster cheese balls have pretzel and cheese googly eyes and olive smiles. They are easy and fun to make for a party or snack.
After every one of my parties, as I clean up all the leftover food, I always notice that the cheese plate is completely empty. Now my husband may have something to do with that, but I do believe that no matter what occasion you are celebrating, cheese is always popular.
For our Halloween parties, I don't want to just serve slices or cubes of cheese; I like to dress my cheese up. Often I will simply cut shapes out of cheese slices using a cookie cutter, but more recently I've been turning cheese balls into festive shapes and my guests love it.
My inspiration for these Mini Monster Cheese Balls actually came to me on Valentine's Day, in a roundabout way. Last February I created Warm Fuzzy Cake Balls and while I was decorating them in red and pink colored coconut, I decided to see what they'd look like in orange and black for Halloween.
Cute, huh?
I was planning to post them as a project here, but as I looked at the monster in the center of this picture, I couldn't help but think that the orange coconut looked like shredded cheese. So, instead of posting a tutorial for another coconut-covered cake ball in the form of little monsters, I decided to share a similar yet different technique to create Mini Monster Cheese Balls.
If you'd like to make the sweet cake ball monsters, just follow the instructions for the Warm Fuzzy Cake Balls or the Coconut Cake Ball Chicks, and use orange and black food coloring to color your coconut. Add candy eyes and create other decorations like feet and antennae out of colored candy melts or white chocolate.
Mini Monster Cheese Balls
(makes approximately 18 monsters)
Ingredients
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup finely chopped cooked bacon (or use real bacon bits)
Decorations
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
black olive slices
pretzel sticks
white cheese slices
black food coloring marker
NOTE:
I grated my own cheese to make the original version of these Mini Monster Cheese Balls. When I picked up my monsters, I smashed the cheesy fur down a bit, so when I made the video I used packaged shredded cheese. The monsters definitely look different. So you can decide which you like better.
Supplies
- 1 tablespoon size ice cream scoop, optional
- small round metal cutter or a round plunger cutter
You can find supplies to make these cute monster cheese balls on Amazon. I earn a small commission when you make a purchase using the links below at no extra cost to you.
Norpro Stainless Steel Meat...Shop on Amazon
4-pieces Plastic Round Cook...Shop on Amazon 
Americolor 2-Count Gourmet ...Shop on AmazonInstructions
Let's make some monsters!
Instructions
- Stir all of the cheese ball ingredients together.
- Place 8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese in a bowl.
- Scoop out a tablespoonful of the cheese ball mixture and drop it into the bowl of cheese.
- Toss it around in the cheese, pressing the cheese onto it until the entire cheese ball is coated in shreds.
- Repeat until you just have a tablespoon of filling remaining. You will need this to be the glue to hold the eyes and mouths onto your monsters.
- Use a small round fondant cutter to cut eyes out of white cheese slices. Draw pupils onto the eyes using a black food coloring marker. For tips on using your markers go here.
- Break pretzel sticks in half. Stick one, two, or three sticks coming out of the top of each mini cheese ball.
- Use some of the remaining cheese ball filling to attach the cheese slice eyes to the pretzel sticks.
- Use the round fondant cutter to cut small little mouths out of the black olive slices.
- Use some of the cheese ball filling to attach them to each monster.
Arrange the cheese ball monsters on a serving platter and share them with your guests.
Storage
- You can make the cheese balls for your monsters several days before your party but don't decorate them until a few hours ahead of your party or the pretzels may get soggy.
Related Recipes
If you have fun making these cute mini monster cheese balls, you might also enjoy making these other Halloween recipes.
VIDEO
Enjoy the new video tutorial.
Recipe
(Originally published on September 3, 2012)
Create mini cheese balls then decorate then to look like cute little monsters.
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup finely chopped cooked bacon (or use real bacon bits)
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
- black olive slices
- pretzel sticks
- white cheese slices
- black food coloring marker
-
Stir all of the cheese ball ingredients together.
-
Place 8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese in a bowl.
-
Scoop out a tablespoonful of the cheese ball mixture and drop it into the bowl of cheese.
-
Toss it around in the cheese, pressing the cheese onto it until the entire cheese ball is coated in shreds.
-
Repeat until you just have a tablespoon of filling remaining. You will need this to be the glue to hold the eyes and mouths onto your monsters.
-
Use a small round fondant cutter to cut eyes out of white cheese slices. Draw pupils onto the eyes using a black food coloring marker. For tips on using your markers go here.
-
Break pretzel sticks in half. Stick one, two or three sticks coming out of the top of each mini cheese ball.
-
Use some of the remaining cheese ball filling to attach the cheese slice eyes to the pretzel sticks.
-
Use the round fondant cutter to cut small little mouths out of the black olive slices.
-
Use some of the cheese ball filling to attach them to each monster.
-
Arrange on a serving platter and share with your guests.
You can make the cheese balls for your monsters several days before your party, but don't decorate them until a few hours ahead of your party or the pretzels may get soggy.
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marianne says
Love these! Made them for my sons monster themed first birthday and the y were a hit! Everyone commented on them.:)
Beth Jackson Klosterboer says
Great to hear it Marianne! Did you snap any pictures? I'd love to see them and share them in my Readers' Gallery.
ChefJen says
You are my new idol!
Beth Jackson Klosterboer says
You're so sweet, thanks!
Marcie says
These are too dang cute. Please come share them on my linky party!
http://www.igottatrythat.com/p/link-party-here_24.html
Thanks,
Marcie
Cheryl @ Sew Can Do says
Love how cute this is. I've featured it today - stop by & grab a Featured On button. Thanks for linking another fabulous food creation to Sew Can Do's Craftastic Monday party:)
Carolyn says
Just wanted to let you know that you were featured on homework today! Thank you so much for taking the time to link up your beautiful project. I truly appreciate it. Have a great weekend.
Beth Jackson Klosterboer says
Thanks Carolyn, I really appreciate the feature =)
Trish says
These are so adorable Beth! How fun to serve up to the kids! Thank you so much for sharing at Mom On Timeout! Pinning!
Amy CookingAdventures says
These are SO CUTE! I just love them!
Kim @ The Educators Spin On It says
These are adorable! Just pinned it onto our Cooking with Kids Board. Woudl go great with our Spider Meatballs. Thanks for sharing. http://pinterest.com/educatorsspinon/cooking-with-kids/
Printabelle says
What an adorable savory snack, my kids would love to make these!!
Carla at Preschool Powol Packets says
I love, love, LOVE these! I want to make them for my kids' Halloween Party! I'm going to pin them and share them on my PreschoolPowolPackets Facebook page! So cool!
Shantalle@lifestylesofthestayathomemom.com says
I love these, they are so darling. I just want to make them for everyone, adults included 😉
Michelle | Creative Food says
Even though I've already told you how much I love these mini monster cheese balls and I will say it again: I love them! 🙂
I also wanted to let you know that I have always loved your ideas! And for that reason I nominated you for the One Lovely Blog and Very Inspiring Blogger Award 🙂 Check it out: http://creative-food.blogspot.com/2012/09/one-lovely-blog-very-inspiring-blogger.html
Sue says
Never have I seen CUTER cheese balls, and I'm sure I never will (unless you make some more:))! The little guy out front is especially cute!
Georganne (LilaLoa) says
Oh my goodness! I LOVE THESE!! What a fun, fun idea!!
Michelle | Creative Food says
These are adorable! I love them!
The Partiologist says
What fun and fuzzy little creatures you created! Love 'em!
Trish - Sweetology101 says
they SOOO remind me of those monsters from sesame street that said...yip yip ahah ahah..remember those?!?!?! http://www.sesamestreet.org/muppets/martians SO CUTE!!
Beth Jackson Klosterboer says
I didn't remember those aliens, but watched the video and they are so cute, as are most Muppets!
Tiffany Yang says
Cute! That's all I can say.
You are a generous!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
LOVE these! Totally pinned.
Jill @ KitchenFunWithMy3Sons.com says
Oh my goodness Beth! These are so adorable...love them!