Ok, can we talk about how gorgeous this Christmas tree cheese ball is? It’s such a stunner for holiday parties or a Christmas dinner appetizer. The recipe starts off with my homemade boursin cheese, and then it’s covered in parsley, rosemary, pine nut “garland”, and pomegranate and apricot “ornaments”. And trust me, it’s so much easier to make than you’d think.

A marble platter with a Christmas tree cheese ball on a wood table next to glasses of champagne, gold candlesticks, brown plates of crackers, a red linen, and twinkle lights.

I have been absolutely amped lately because I get to stroll through European Christmas markets in t-minus 3 weeks! Seriously, I’m about to be so insufferable over on Instagram stories. Catch me with a glühwein in one hand and a pretzel in the other.

Anyways, all this planning has me dreaming about everything Christmas and twinkly lights and covered in garland. So here we are. An absolutely beautiful (but 100% edible!) cheese ball that’s secretly super easy to make? Count me in.

The recipe itself starts off with a couple batches of my homemade boursin that I originally developed way back when I was in culinary school. But feel free to use store-bought if you want to keep things a little easier.

For the decorations themselves, you can really go as crazy as you want. I chose pomegranate arils, pine nut for garland, and dried apricots for ornaments (more on this later). But feel free to use cut up veggies, olives, nuts, or other dried fruits!

Add shredded cheese for stability

White and brown bowls of cheese, parsley, pomegranate arils, rosemary, pine nuts, and dried apricots on a tan counter.

The first time I tried this recipe, I used just boursin, but it didn’t solidify all the way. The key was a bit of shredded cheese, which not only bulked up the tree a bit, but helped it hold its shape too!

I used Monterey Jack in this recipe, because it’s nice and mild which lets the boursin shine through. But white cheddar or even pepper Jack would also be delicious!

Recipe directions

Dried apricots sliced into circles on a wood board.
If you’re extra, use a large piping tip to cut ornaments out of dried apricots. This is obviously optional lol.
Cheese shaped into a cone on a wood counter.
Then, combine the boursin and Monterey Jack cheese. Form the cheese into a cone shape and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
A cone of cheese covered in parsley on a wood table.
Once the cheese ball is chilled and holds its shape, coat the outside with a layer of finely minced parsley.
A hand using tweezers to decorate a Christmas tree cheese ball with pine nuts.
Then, add rows of pine nuts around the tree to make garland. Kitchen tweezers are super helpful here if you have them!
A marble board with a Christmas tree cheese ball on a wood table.
Place pomegranate arils, the apricot circles, & rosemary sprigs randomly around the tree to fill in any gaps.
A hand placing a cheese star on a Christmas tree cheese ball with a tan backbround.
Lastly, use a cookie cookie cutter to form a star out of a slice of cheese. Attach it to the top of the cheese ball with a toothpick!

To make things a little easier, you can decorate the cheese ball however you like. Feel free to skip the garland step and add the pine nuts in random areas instead. Sliced almonds work great here too! You can really make this as easy or as elaborate as you like.

Make ahead tips

The cheese ball holds up pretty well in the fridge, so you can always make it the morning of or even the night before. Just don’t make it too early or the fruit will get soggy and the parsley will dry out.

You will also want to wrap it gently (but thoroughly) so the decorations don’t pop off!

A marble board with a Christmas tree cheese ball on a wood table next to glasses of champagne, a red linen, gold candlesticks, and brown bowls of crackers.
A hand using a gold knife to slice a Christmas tree cheese ball on a marble tray next to glasses of champagne, gold candlesticks, crackers, and a red linen with a wood background.

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A Festive Christmas Tree Cheese Ball

Yield: 24 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
How gorgeous is this Christmas tree cheese ball? It looks complicated, but I promise, it's actually so easy to make! All you need is boursin, Monterey Jack cheese, parsley, rosemary sprigs, dried fruit, and pine nuts for decoration. It's a stunner at holiday parties and Christmas dinners!
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Ingredients

  • 12 dried apricots
  • 8 ounce brick of Monterey Jack cheese, divided (226 grams)
  • 2 batches homemade boursin – see notes for store-bought alternative
  • 1 bunch curly parsley, very finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts (45 grams)
  • 1/4 cup pomegranate arils (35 grams)
  • 3-4 rosemary sprigs
  • Crackers, for serving

Equipment

  • Plastic wrap
  • Small star cookie cutter

Instructions 

  • If you want to make apricot "ornaments", use a large round piping tip to cut circles out of the dried apricots. This is totally optional, you can also just cut them into squares! Set the apricots aside for later.
  • Slice 1-2 slices of cheese off of the brick of Monterey Jack. Use a small, star-shaped cookie cutter to make a star topper. Then, grate the rest of the cheese. Reserve 6 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups/170 grams) and save the rest of the cheese for another recipe.
  • In a large bowl, combine the boursin and shredded Monterey Jack cheese with a rubber spatula or hand mixer. Then, spoon the mixture onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Use the plastic wrap to shape the cheese mixture into a tall (but sturdy) tree shape. Wrap the cheese ball well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until the cheese ball is firm.
  • Once the cheese ball is chilled and holding its shape, unwrap and tree and place it on a serving tray. Press the chopped parsley onto the sides of the tree. Gently brush any extra parsley off of the serving tray.
  • Press the pine nuts in rows around the tree to create "garland". You can use your hands, but kitchen tweezers are super helpful for this step!
  • Then, press pomegranate arils and the dried apricot "ornaments" in-between the pine nut garland. Fill in gaps with small sprigs of rosemary to make branches.
  • Use a toothpick to secure the cheese star topper to the top of the Christmas tree. Enjoy with crackers!

Notes

If you want to use store-bought boursin, you will need four 5.3 ounce wheels. (My homemade version makes about 10 ounces per batch.)
To make things a little easier, you can decorate the cheese ball however you like! Feel free to skip the garland step and add the pine nuts in random areas instead. Sliced almonds work great here too! You can really make this as easy or as elaborate as you like.
Try swapping the pomegranate arils and dried apricots with other dried fruits, veggies, etc. Rainbow carrot slices would be super pretty here!
While you’re decorating the cheese ball, it may lose it’s shape a bit. Don’t stress, just gently press it back into shape as needed.
Cuisine: American
Course: Appetizer
Author: Sara Lynn Hunt Broka
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 112kcal, Carbohydrates: 3.2g, Protein: 3.9g, Fat: 9.9g, Saturated Fat: 5.2g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 131mg, Potassium: 73mg, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 1.7g, Calcium: 75mg, Iron: 1mg
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