These adorable Mini Melting Snowman Cheese Balls will make fun appetizers for Christmas. Each bite-size snack is made using a blend of delicious Italian Cheeses and is decorated with colored cream cheese and a carrot nose.
Years ago, I fell in love the first time I saw the original melting snowman cookie, created by Meaghan from The Decorated Cookie, and knew someday I wanted to make my own melting snowman treats. Well, today is the day.
Instead of making my melting snowmen out of cookies and candy, I chose to use cheese balls instead. I love making fun and festive appetizers to serve at our Christmas party.
All of the party guests look forward to finding cute savory and sweet treats on our holiday table.
Each one of these little appetizers is the perfect bite - a crunchy Italian toast topped with a cheese spread made with Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Kraft Shreds Italian Five Cheese Blend favored with an Italian-style dressing mix.
They are decorated with Parmesan cheese snow, tiny carrot noses, and colored cream cheese eyes, smiles, arms, and buttons.
I will admit these cuties did take some time to decorate. But for me, the effort was totally worth it.
I understand not everyone wants to take as much time preparing Christmas appetizers. If you prefer, you can make one large melting snowman cheese ball instead. It will look just as cool.
Something I always like to make for my parties is food tags.
I don't want to spend my entire evening telling my guests what's served on the buffet. I much prefer printing out the name of each dish on a tag and setting it on the serving platter.
The printable tags are also great if you know your guests have food allergies. You can make a notation of any allergens in the dish.
Click to get the Printable Melting Snowman Food Tags.
Mini Melting Snowman Cheese Balls
Ingredients
Cheese Ball -
Philadelphia Cream Cheese
Kraft Italian Five Cheese Blend
dried Italian-style dressing mix
Decorations-
Parmesan cheese
black gel or paste food coloring
milk
Italian toasts or bagel chips
mini carrots
Supplies
teaspoon or teaspoon size scoop
pastry bag
#3 pastry tip (or use a zip-top bag and cut a small hole)
Instructions
step 1 - Make the snowmen.
- Follow the recipe below to make the cheese ball mixture.
- Spread a very thin layer of cheese spread on each Italian toast.
- Dip it, cheese side down, into the grated Parmesan cheese, or just sprinkle some over top.
- Scoop out a teaspoonful of the cheese spread and roll into a ball.
- Roll it in the Parmesan cheese, covering all but a small area, just enough to stick to the toast.
- Set it on a cheese-covered toast.
- If the cheese ball won't stick, scrape off some of the Parmesan cheese from the toast, add a dab of cheese spread, and stick the ball on top.
- Repeat, until all the cheese spread is gone. You should get about 30 Mini Snowmen Cheese Balls.
step 2 - Decorate your melting snowmen.
- Cut the carrots into thin slices then cut out triangular-shaped carrot noses for the snowmen.
- Mix the reserved 2 ounces of cream cheese with a few drops of black food coloring and the milk.
- Spoon it into a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip or into a small zip-top bag with a small hole cut at one tip.
- Pipe on two eyes and a mouth. Insert a carrot nose. Pipe two twig arms and three buttons onto the cheese-covered toasts.
Note: Piping the black cream cheese onto the Parmesan cheese can be a little tricky at times. I kept a paper towel handy, to wipe off the pastry tip as it got coated in the cheese. It helped a lot.
I can't wait to serve these at our holiday party. They are really too cute.
Printable Recipe
This recipe was originally published on December 3, 2014.
Be sure to check out all my fun Christmas Recipes!
These cute Christmas appetizers are made by topping Italian toasts with cream cheese and Parmesan cheese "snow" and are decorated with a mini cheese ball snowman.
- 8 ounces (1 block) Philadelphia Cream Cheese
- 8 ounces Kraft Italian Five Cheese Blend
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian-style dressing mix
- ⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- black gel or paste food coloring
- 2 teaspoons milk
- 30 Italian toasts or bagel chips
- 2-3 mini carrots
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Cut off 2 ounces of the cream cheese and put it in a small bowl.
-
Put the remaining 6 ounces along with the bag of Italian Five Cheese Blend, and the Italian dressing mix in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until well combined.
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If you don't have a food processor, you are going to want to chop up the cheese into small pieces then mix it with the cream cheese and seasonings.
-
Spread a very thin layer of the cheese spread on each Italian toast.
-
Dip it, cheese side down, into the grated Parmesan cheese or just sprinkle some over top.
-
Scoop out a teaspoonful of the cheese spread and roll into a ball.
-
Roll it in the Parmesan cheese, covering all but a small area, just enough to stick to the toast.
-
Set it on a cheese-covered toast. If the cheese ball won't stick, scrape off some of the Parmesan cheese from the toast, add a dab of cheese spread, and stick the ball on top.
-
Repeat, until all the cheese spread is gone. You should get about 30 Mini Snowmen Cheese Balls.
-
Cut the carrots into thin slices then cut out triangular-shaped carrot noses for the snowmen.
-
Mix some black food coloring and the milk with the reserved 2 ounces of cream cheese.
-
Spoon it into a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip or into a small zip-top bag with a small hole cut at one tip.
-
Pipe on two eyes and a mouth.
-
Insert a carrot nose.
-
Pipe two twig arms and three buttons onto the cheese-covered toasts.
- Piping the black cream cheese onto the Parmesan cheese can be a little tricky at times. I kept a paper towel handy, to wipe off the pastry tip as it got coated in the cheese. It helped a lot.
- You can make and decorate the heads for your snowman cheese balls ahead of time, but do not spread the cheese on the Italian toasts and finish decorating until the day you plan to serve them. The crackers will become soggy if store in the refrigerator for too long.
- The cheese balls will be fine if kept at room temperature for several hours before your party.
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White Chocolate Cupcake Wrappers
Silly Snowmen Rice Krispies Treat Pops
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Karen @ Sugartown Sweets says
These are so cute! I love that you make make food labels for your treats! I've only done it once, but you have inspired me to do it for our annual gingerbread house night!
Beth says
Thanks, Karen. Having labels makes it easier for me and my party guests. Even if I just use chalkboard signs, I have something to tell everyone what they are eating. I hope you have a wonderful gingerbread house night. That sounds like so much fun!
Jo and Sue says
Not sure how I missed these last year. These are amazingly adorable. I'm not sure I would have the patience to make 30 of them..... maybe a dozen and then a bigger one in the middle of the plate 🙂 Thank you for another fabulous idea!!
Beth says
They actually came together quicker than I thought they would. I hope you do give them a try.
Anonymous says
Did you freeze them? You mentioned you were trying to make things ahead of time. They are very cute!
beth says
I actually did not freeze these because I had another use for them earlier in the month, but need to make some more for our party.
The Partiologist says
How cute these little guys are, looks like they'll melt in your mouth, not in your hand! 🙂
beth says
LOL! Thanks, Kim.
Huppie Mama says
These are ADORABLE!
beth says
Thanks, Huppie Mama
Trish Shamp says
These just make me smile ear to ear! I really LOVE the savory ideas! Thanks for always great ideas - as I say you keep me motivated and inspired!
beth says
Thanks, Trish. They make me smile too. I'm happy I inspire you.
Lisa@hooplapalooza says
every time i come on your blog it's like christmas with a very special gift to open! even it's in the middle of summer 🙂 i heart these snowmen! 🙂
beth says
Didn't you know I am Santa Claus? LOL! Nope, I'm not I just like to give the gift of fun food to my readers.
Stephanie says
What an adorable appetizer recipe! As a mom to a child with food allergies, I love seeing food labels that let me know what the buffet items are! Great idea! #client
beth says
Thanks, Stephanie. have food allergies too, and find it so helpful.