Red, White, and Blue Cheese Balls

These might not look like it, but you never want to judge a ball by its cover, because inside we are pairing fire-roasted red pepper, fresh white sweet corn, and blue cheese. Not only is the inside amazing, but these are also getting rolled in all sorts of extra deliciousness which really elevates these.

Ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 0.25 teaspoon kosher salt
• 0.25 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 cup diced roasted red peppers
• 2 cups fresh white corn kernels
• 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
• 0.5 cup chopped toasted almonds
• 0.5 cup sliced fresh chives
• 1 cup minced crisp-cooked bacon

Steps

1. Combine cream cheese, butter, salt, pepper, cayenne, roasted red peppers, corn, and blue cheese in a mixing bowl. Stir together until evenly and thoroughly combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 1 hour.
2. Use a sorbet scoop or spoon to form tablespoon-sized balls of cheese mixture; place on a lined sheet pan. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. A perfect shape doesn't matter at this point since these will be rolled in the coatings to complete the process.
3. Transfer chilled cheese balls into the coatings of your choice, such as almonds, chives, and bacon, and roll around to cover. Once coated, roll each briefly in your hands to achieve the final ball shape. Transfer to a plate or pan and keep chilled in the refrigerator until ready to serve.