A blast from past party goodness – so retro! No party is complete without a good appetizer and I love this sweet and salty pineapple cheese ball.
The Perfect Party Appetizer
Does anyone else remember when no party was complete without a cheeseball?
I am probably really dating myself with this, but I used to love when I was a kid and went to a party, a grown-up party, and there was a cheeseball. When I saw that huge ball of deliciousness surrounded by crackers, I considered the party to be a success.
It didn’t take much to make me happy back then and to be honest, that’s still true 😉 
For this month’s The Cooking Housewives holiday extravaganza (scroll to the bottom of this post for all of the other delicious holiday recipes being shared….sweet treats, appetizers, and more!) I decided to make a true American classic, a Pineapple Cheese Ball with chopped dates, raisins, lots of cream cheese, and a freshly ground pecan coating.
I realized my sons had been deprived of a holiday cheese ball experience so it was about time I made one for them and we were going to a Christmas open house so I got to kill two birds with one stone. 😉
This really is easy to make. I always envisioned it being a much more complicated recipe, but seriously, if it were any simpler it would make itself.
How to Make an Easy Sweet and Salty Nutty Pineapple Cheese Ball
Pineapple Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 1 8 ounce can crushed pineapple drained
- 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese softened
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup dates chopped
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
Instructions
- Before adding any ingredients I like to smoosh up my cream cheese using a fork to make it nice and smooth.
- Next, and the dates to the cream cheese,
- then the raisins,
- and lastly, the crushed pineapple.
- Mix all together well until it's nice and creamy!
- Now, I like to take the chopped pecans and give them a quick run through a mixer or food processor to make it less chunky and more spreadable but you don't want it to be a "dust" so easy does it.
- Place about half of the nuts into a bowl, take your mixed cheese ball ingredients and form them into a giant delectable orb of cheese and roll it around in the nuts until all sides are coated.
- Wrap the ball in some plastic wrap and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. I served the one I made the same day BUT it is better, the flavors blend together in a more harmonious manner (I'm getting all chef-y now, aren't I?) if you let it sit about a day. Serve with some buttery crackers or any crackers you prefer!
Video
Nutrition
If you’re concerned about guests with nut allergies, you can absolutely omit the pecans.
What’s your favorite party appetizer? I would love to hear about it and if it’s retro we can nosh on the good old days!
The links below will take you directly to all of the other amazing recipes being shared by The Cooking Housewives this month.
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