Pretzel-Crusted Cheddar Bacon Ale Cheese Ball

Pretzel-Crusted Cheddar Bacon Ale Cheese Ball.

I think I’m totally failing at posting healthy recipes this week, but I wanted to give you guys this recipe in time for this weekend.

There’s a lot of amazing things happening here. First, you got crispy bacon and it’s mixed in with cream cheese and sharp cheddar cheese and then of course, beer! And then you top it all off with pretzels. I’m not sure it gets better than this, folks. This is ultimate game food right here.

Really, this thing can be as fattening as you want or you can make adjustments to cut fat and calories. Instead of using full fat cheeses, use low fat or fat free. Instead of using regular beer, use a light beer. Instead of using regular bacon, use turkey bacon. And instead of serving it with crackers or more pretzels, I ate mine with fresh broccoli and sliced red pepper. I actually preferred eating it with fresh vegetables. Since it’s already covered in pretzels, eating it with veggies adds another layer of crunch and flavor, plus, it just makes it seem much better for you!

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Yield: 6-8 servings

Pretzel-Crusted Cheddar Bacon Ale Cheese Ball

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Pretzel-Crusted Cheddar Bacon Ale Cheese Ball - The ultimate game day cheese ball! Made with cheeses, bacon, and beer!

Ingredients

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 8 ounces good quality sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 3 tablespoons beer (lighter beers recommended)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 slices cooked bacon or turkey bacon
• About 2 cups lightly salted pretzels, broken/crushed into small pieces
• fresh veggies, crackers, and/or additional pretzels

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and the cheddar cheese. Add in the bacon, salt, garlic and onion powders, beer, and the Worcestershire sauce. Continue mixing for another minute or two until everything is well-combined. Remove the mixture from the bowl and form into a ball (or football) with your hands. Wrap the formed ball in plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes-60 minutes.
2. Remove the chilled cheese ball. Using small handfuls at a time, place crushed pretzel pieces all over the top and sides of the cheese ball, pushing in lightly to secure them into place. Try to cover as much of the cheese ball as possible (except the bottom). If you are making a football-shaped cheese ball, you can use ranch dressing, ketchup, or more shredded cheese to make the “laces” on top of the ball. Serve or cover and place back into the fridge until serving. Serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1/8th
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 279Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 535mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 11g

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