Bacon Jalapeno Cheese Ball

We had a great and busy weekend once again. On Saturday, we drove out to Lindsey and Eric's house for a barbecue. It was our first time visiting their new home and we had a blast. Sweet P was a champ! Since Secret Recipe Club was coming up, I decided to pick out an appetizer from Juanita's Cocina to bring with us. When I found this gorgeous and delicious bacon jalapeno cheese ball, I knew it would be the perfect party food to share. It was so good that I made it again on Sunday for a little belated birthday celebration at my parents' house.

So many of Jen's recipes looked incredible (hello microwaved cakes in jars?!) but I'm so glad that I picked this recipe. By cleaning the jalapenos completely - removing each and every seed and rib - this cheseball had just the slightest kick with an otherwise peppery, bacony, cheesy flavor. And the best part? It came together very quickly with no baking required!

Bacon Jalapeno Cheese Ball

*Adapted from Juanita's Cocina

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

2 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, mince

1/4 tsp cumin

1 tsp lime juice

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 jalapenos, seeded and deveined, chopped finely

6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Salt & pepper to taste

1/2 C chopped walnuts or pecans

Crackers for serving (I like Club Multigrain)

In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, cheddar, cilantro, garlic, cumin, lime juice, Worcestershire, diced jalapenos, and half of the crumbled bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Once completely combined, shape into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 15-30 min. When firmed slightly, roll in chopped nuts until completely coated. Serve with crackers, or your choice of dippers.

What are your go-to party foods?

This cheese ball is going to be my new go-to!

To see other great recipes from Secret Recipe Club members, visit the links below!

Peanut Butter Oreo Magic Bars   Best Banana Muffins   Candy Caramel Corn   Sweet & Tangy Chili   Blueberry Lemon Curd   Coconut Macaroons   Rosemary & Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips   Toasted Coconut Marshmallow   Mango Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette   PECAN PIE MUFFINS DRIZZLED WITH WARM CARAMEL   Bacon Jalapeno Cheese Ball   Baked Zucchini with Cheese   Cranberry Cinnamon Sugar Walnuts   Ooey Gooey Mounds Cookies   Cherry Hand Pies   Caramel Topped Mini Cheesecakes   Nutella Filled Sugar Cookies   Raspberry Crumb Bars   White Beans, Ham & Bacon Skillet   Cherry Cake   Tomato Soup Sloppy Joes   Bacon and Spicy Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms   Coimbra-style Bread Pudding   Drizzled Cherry Scones   Cajun {pastured} Chicken & Mango Avocado Salsa   Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies   Chicken, walnut and cranberry salad   Baked Poblano Fries with Spicy Ranch   Lemon Cheesecake Bars   Alfredo Sauce   Mozzarella Sticks   Roasted Chickpeas   Blueberry Muffins   Quinoa Fiesta Salad   Caramelized Brussels Sprout Bruschetta   Healthy Banana Oatmeal Cookie   Parmesan Tilapia   Peanut Butter Cup Bars   Spinach Pasta with Bolognese Sauce   Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

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Comments

[debbi does dinner healthy]

I've never made one of these before! I'm totally going to at my next appetizer party. It looks fantastic!

[Dana]

Um...wow! Looks and sounds amazing!!!

[Debra]

Jen is a mad culinary genius. (I mean that in the best possible way!) I heart her blog and I don't know how I missed this cheeseball. Great choice and I have pinned it to my holiday board. (Sadly, cheeseballs are relegated to holiday fare in this household or we would eat them weekly!) :)

[gloria]

This look really delicious!!

[Jen @JuanitasCocina]

Yay! So glad you loved this cheeseball! It's a fav in our family too!

[Karen - Cinnamon Freud]

Everyone loves a good cheeseball- this one looks great!

[Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girl]

YUM. I have made something similar and it's awesome. I'm just discovering Juanita's blog and clearly I need to check out more of her recipes. I wish I had this cheeseball to eat as my dinner! LOL.

[Desi]

I love a good cheese ball, and bacon and jalapeno really set this over the top! Can I have a bite? Or 10?

[kitchen belleicious]

that cheese ball looks amazing and delicious. Like you said- perfect for parties or any type of get together and best part of all is it is easy to thow together!

[Deanna Segrave-Daly]

Wowza does that sound good! Perfect for summer entertaining.