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I love Thanksgiving, so I always go all out. Everyone is usually focused on the dishes that make up your dinner feast, so I like to give extra love to the appetizers–they can be just as amazing! So, for this recipe, I sculpted a cute turkey out of cheese. Did you expect anything less?

There are more Turkey Day ideas where that came from! Check out my Cheesegiving Meal Board, Thanksgiving Cheese and Dessert Board, Thanksgiving Turkey Veggie Tray,  Thanksgiving Kids Snack Board. Plus, find more inspiration in my other Fall Recipes.

Turkey Cheese Ball Ingredients

• 5.3 ounces Boursin cheese, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 dash Tobasco
• 1/3 cup pistachios, chopped
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped
• 1/3 cup dried slab apricots, chopped
• 1 bag recipe no. 5 savory butter pretzels
• 1 brie wheel
• 1 orange slice
• 1 candy eyes
• 1 candy corn

Pro tip: if anyone has a nut allergy, swap in chopped pretzels or sunflower seeds for the pistachios. Check out these topping alternatives!

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How To Make a Turkey-Shaped Cheese Ball

1. Combine the Boursin, cream cheese, parsley, chives, lemon zest, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using an electric mixer). Mix, scraping down the sides as needed. until a smooth, uniform mixture forms.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add tablespoon-size cheese balls to the prepared sheet, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a food processor, finely chop the pistachios, dried cranberries, and apricots separately. Place the toppings in separate shallow bowls.
4. Once the cheese has chilled, roll each piece into a ball between your hands, then roll each piece into one of the toppings: you should have 3 cranberry-rolled balls, 4 pistachio-rolled balls, and 5 apricot-rolled balls.
5. Place the brie towards the bottom of the board. Fan the cheese balls out in 3 layers around the top of the cheese to resemble feathers in increasing order (cranberry, pistachio, apricot). Add the orange slice to the brie, then top with the eyes and candy corn beak. Place two pretzel sticks at the bottom of the brie for the legs. Stick a pretzel rod into the center of each cheese ball. 
6. Serve with more pretzels on the side!

Turkey Cheese Ball Tips

Cheese balls are super easy to make. It mostly comes down to great ingredients and flavors that pair perfectly, but here are some things to keep in mind:

• If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer or two large forks. The key is to get the mixture as smooth as possible so you don’t have pockets of either cheese flavor.
• When you pulse the dried fruits in the food processor, they can get gummy, so chop them up as fine as possible before pulsing. 
• A cleaned-out spice grinder or coffee grinder works well for nuts.
• The apricot pieces tend to be bigger than the other toppings, so those cheese balls will end up bigger. If you want them to be the same size as the other balls, you can make the pre-rolled cheese ball slightly smaller. The apricot will even it out once they’re rolled! 
• When serving, be sure to label the different toppings, especially nuts, so guests with allergies know what to avoid. 
• You can make the cheese balls up to a day ahead and keep them in the fridge. Just be sure to add the toppings and pretzels day-of, so that they don’t get soggy!
• Feel free to fill your board with as many cheeseball feathers as you like! Make the plumage huge or keep it small and serve the rest of the cheeseballs on the side. 
• This recipe serves 6 to 12 people, depending on how much other food is being served. For Thanksgiving-type dishes, I think there is some wiggle room because there is a lot of other food, and guests are getting a little bit of everything! If that sounds like your gathering, you could easily bring this to a party of 20 people. 
• For a big crowd, you can always make a lot of extra cheese balls and serve them in addition to your turkey.

Video: Turkey Cheese Balls Tutorial

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A post shared by Ain’t Too Proud To Meg | Fun Food Ideas (@ainttooproudtomeg)

Cheese for Your Thanksgiving Cheese Ball

You know I love Boursin cheese–I use it all the time. It’s so versatile and universally loved. A good friend (and amazing chef) mentioned his cheese ball recipe uses Boursin instead of butter, so I gave it a try!

I love using the Boursin because it makes the mixture super decadent and rich. The garlic herb flavor really takes these cheese balls to a whole new level.

If you don’t want to use Boursin, there are plenty of alternatives:

• Chevre 
• Neufchâtel
• Alouette Garlic & Herbs
• Whipped feta
• Butter

Non-Dairy Options

• Dairy-free Boursin
• Treeline Herb Garlic  French-Style Cashew Cheese
• The Laughing Cow Plant-Based Garlic & Herb Wedges
• Miyoko’s Creamery Classic Plain Vegan Cream Cheese 
• Violife Original Cream Cheese

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Turkey Cheese Ball Recipe Alternatives

There are so many options for making these little cheese balls exactly how you want them, and they’re all delicious. Just remember that the Boursin has herb flavors and go from there!

Pretzels

While a classic pretzel stick works perfectly, feel free to switch it up.

• Carrot sticks
• Bell pepper strips
• Gluten-free pretzel sticks
• Breadsticks
• Sesame sticks

Toppings

I try to stick with the classic autumnal color scheme (brown, red, orange, and yellow), but you can always lean more into your favorite flavors instead. No matter what, you’ll need to chop the toppings (except the shredded cheese)!

• Fresh herbs, like parsley or chives
• Pecans
• Walnuts 
• Bacon
• Dried figs
• Crackers (I like Ritz)
• Olives
• Thinly shredded cheddar cheese

Serving

I usually just use the same pretzel sticks for scooping up the cheese, but you can serve something additional on the side!

• Butter crackers, like Ritz (for more cracker ideas, check out my Cracker Pairing Guide)
• Apple slices
• Carrot sticks
• Bell pepper strips
• Bagel chips
• Pretzel chips
• Mini toasts
• Wasa crisps (these are gluten-free!)

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Show Me Your Turkey Cheese Balls

I hope this post inspires you to create delicious Thanksgiving appetizers like this. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the beautiful snacks and spreads you create from my tips. If you make something inspired by this post, please tag me at @ainttooproudtomeg so I can see and share! 

And, if you liked this recipe, please rate and review.

Photos by Haley Hunt Davis

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