Turkey Dessert Cheeseball
This Turkey Dessert Cheeseball is such a fun holiday treat! Looking like a cute turkey, it is sweet, tasty and so fun to put together! It will be the star of your holiday table!
A FUN TURKEY SHAPED DESSERT RECIPE
Is this Turkey Dessert Cheeseball not the cutest thing ever?! It is not only cute, it is super tasty as well. With a little effort, this fun treat will be the center of any of your holiday gatherings. With a sweet flavor and covered with chocolate chips and pecans it is hard to resist. If you are looking for that show stopping dessert or snack, this Turkey Dessert Cheeseball recipe has to be it!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
I like to use semi-sweet chocolate chips for this recipe to balance out the sweetness. You can use milk or dark chocolate as well.
Candy melts are easiest when it comes to decorating with chocolate and achieving the color that you want. If you do not want to use candy melts then you can use white chocolate chips or almond bark and then use gel food coloring to color the chocolate. Candy melts are easier to find these days and you’ll find them in the baking aisle or cake decorating aisle of your grocery store.
Yes, you can make it ahead of time. I suggest coating the cheeseball and then wrapping and storing the decorations separately and decorate when you are ready to serve. This can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time.
You can use any of your favorite dippers for this recipe, some of our favorites include: pretzels, cookies, fruit and graham crackers.
This should chill for at least 2 hours to fully set up and get hard enough to keep it’s shape.
Yes. You can switch out for another nut you like or just leave it out altogether.
This can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator where it should keep for up to 3-4 days.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- cream cheese
- salted butter
- light brown sugar
- pecans
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
- vanilla extract
- candy corn
- candy eyes
- plain red M&M
- candy melts (red, orange, yellow)
HOW TO MAKE A TURKEY DESSERT CHEESEBALL:
In a large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter.
Next, beat in brown sugar, vanilla extract and ½ a cup of chopped pecans and ½ a cup of semi-sweet chocolates until just combined.
Using a spatula, scrape the cheeseball mixture into a mound onto a large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a ball. Place the cheese ball into the refrigerator for at least two hours (or overnight if preparing the day before).
While the cheeseball is chilling, make the candy melt “feathers”. Melt orange, red and yellow candy melt wafers in separate bowls according to the package instructions.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add a small dollop of colored melted chocolate and form a leaf shape using a spoon. I recommend making as many as will fit on your baking sheet (but at least 12-15). Place the feathers on the baking sheet in the refrigerator to harden.
Once the cheeseball has completely set, take out of the refrigerator and mix together the remaining cup of semi-sweet chocolates and pecans and pour them out on a tray or plate. Then carefully roll the cheese ball in the chocolates/pecans and cover all over. You might need to use your hands to pack extra on and fill in all the areas.
Now press in the feathers to the back third of the cheeseball to look like turkey feathers.
Melt ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave to attach the nose, eyes and gobbler to the front of the cheese ball to create a face! (I recommend that you use tweezers to dip the candy corn and eye balls into the melted chocolate and to attach them to the cheese ball since they are so small!)
Serve with your favorite dippers.
Enjoy!
WANT MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES?
Turkey Dessert Cheeseball
Ingredients
- 2 (8 ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 ½ cups chopped pecans, divided use
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided use
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 candy corn, for the nose
- 2 candy eyes
- 1 plain red M&M
- red, orange and yellow candy melts (about ½ cup of each before melted)
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, for attaching the candy to the turkey’s face
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter.
- Next, beat in brown sugar, vanilla and ½ a cup of chopped pecans and ½ a cup of semi-sweet chocolates until just combined.
- Using a spatula, scrape the cheeseball mixture into a mound onto a large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a ball. Place the cheese ball into the refrigerator for at least two hours (or overnight if preparing the day before).
- While the cheese ball is chilling, make the candy melt feathers. Melt orange, red and yellow candy melt wafers in separate bowls according to the package instructions.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add a small dollop of colored melted chocolate and form a leaf shape using a spoon. I recommend making as many as will fit on your baking sheet (but at least 12-15). Place the feathers on the baking sheet in the refrigerator to harden.
- Once the cheeseball has completely set, take out of the refrigerator and mix together the remaining cup of semi-sweet chocolates and pecans and pour them out on a tray or plate. Then carefully roll the cheese ball in the chocolates/pecans and cover all over. You might need to use your hands to pack extra on and fill in all the areas.
- Now press in the feathers to the back third of the cheese ball to look like turkey feathers.
- Melt ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave to attach the nose, eyes and gobbler to the front of the cheese ball to create a face! (I recommend that you use tweezers to dip the candy corn and eye balls into the melted chocolate and to attach them to the cheese ball since they are so small!)
- Then serve with your favorite dippers!
Notes
- You can use any milk or dark chocolate chips if you’d like.
- Colored candy melts are best for decorating, but you can use white chocolate chips or almond bark and dye with gel food coloring (not liquid.)
- This needs to chill for at least 2 hours.
- The cream cheese and butter need to be completely softened or the cheeseball will have lumpy cream cheese bits in it. I just put them out on the kitchen counter the night before I need to make this.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
