Pinterest Pass or Fail: Corned Beef Leprechaun Cheese Ball

By: Kitchen Crew   March 9, 2018

Cheese balls are the ultimate party appetizer. They’re easy to make, can be seet or savory, and allow people to nibble throughout the night. On Pinterest, we came across Angela from Handmade in the Heartland’s adorable Corned Beef Leprechaun Cheese Ball. With its top hat and reddish beard, and St. Patrick’s Day coming up, we knew we had to try Angela’s recipe. But would we be able to recreate it and would it be tasty? We got to work.

Gather the Ingredients

  • 1/4 pound corned beef, diced (can be from deli or leftover)
  • 3 scallions, diced
  • 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 teaspoon horseradish
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 small yellow pepper
  • 1 small red pepper
  • 2 black olives
  • 1 small parsnip
  • 1 carrot
  • Plastic wrap
  • Non-stick cooking spray

To Make The Cheese Ball

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the diced corned beef, diced scallions, room temperature cream cheese, chopped pecans, horseradish, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.

Mix all the cheese ball ingredients until fully blended.

Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with non-stick cooking spray. With slightly wet hands, remove mixture from the bowl and form into a ball. Place ball on plastic wrap. Wrap cheese ball and refrigerate for a minimum of two hours.

How To Decorate The Cheese Ball

While the cheese ball is chilling, begin preparing decorations.

  • For the hat, cut off the top of the green pepper. Remove the stem leaving a round circle.
  • Deseed the green pepper and use remaining pepper for the hat.
  • Cut a thin slice of red pepper for the mouth.
  • Cut a piece of the yellow pepper into a small square for the hat.
  • Using the vegetable peeler, peel slices of the carrot for the hair and beard.
  • Thinly slice two pieces of carrot for the eyebrows.
  • Peel a piece of parsnip for the hat stripe and cut a small piece for the nose.
  • Slice the black olives and use the ends for the eyes.

    • Unwrap the cheese ball from the plastic wrap and place on a plate. Begin decorating the cheese ball by placing the green pepper hat onto the cheese ball. Place a peeled piece of parsnip around the rim of the hat along with the square of yellow bell pepper.

    Next, place the two black olive eyes into the cheese ball. Then put the two small pieces of carrots for the eyebrows.

    Press the parsnip and red bell pepper into the cheese ball for the nose and mouth.

    Begin affixing the carrot for the hair and beard.

    Serve with your favorite crackers, pretzels and the extra carrots and peppers.

    The Results: Test Kitchen Pass!

    The corned beef cheese ball isn’t just creative and adorable, it’s tasty too! All the ingredients pair so well together to create a tangy, savory cheese ball. We loved the salty bits of corned beef throughout and the crunchy texture from the pecans. After decorating the leprechaun, it’s a festive cheese ball that’ll be a hit at your St. Patrick’s Day Party.

    Test Kitchen Tips

    • Make sure to spray the plastic wrap with non-stick spray. This will make unwrapping the cheese ball much easier.
    • As we were cutting the parsnip nose, we realized you could also just make him a pointy nose like you would if making a snowman.
    • Have fun and make the leprechaun your own. Be creative… you could add pointy ears and maybe a four leaf clover on the hat. The possibilities are endless!