The name sounds disgusting but kids love these baked cheddar cheese balls with olives that look like eyeballs. Great appetizer for parties or Halloween. These may be made in advance and frozen before baking.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 pound (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 stick (1/2 cup or 8 Tablespoons) very cold butter, cut into small cubes
- 24 small pimento-stuffed green olives
Preparation:
Whisk together salt, paprika, and flour. Set aside.
Place the cheddar cheese and butter in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. With machine running, slowly pour the flour mixture down the feed chute and stop as soon as the mixture is combined. Do not over-process.
To make the cheese eyeballs, take about 1 teaspoon of the mixture and form it around an olive, leaving the large end with the pimento exposed. Place on prepared baking sheet with "eye" staring upward at a slight angle. Repeat with all of the olives. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
The appetizer may be frozen, uncovered, at this point. Once frozen, place in a zip-top bag, squeeze out all the air, and seal. Let them thaw slowly in the refrigerator before baking. They should be cold when they go into the oven, but not frozen.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking liners or parchment paper.
Bake cheese eyeballs in preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Serve warm.
Yield: 24
Cheese Eyeballs Recipe Photo © 2008 Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, licensed to About.com, Inc.
Place the cheddar cheese and butter in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. With machine running, slowly pour the flour mixture down the feed chute and stop as soon as the mixture is combined. Do not over-process.
To make the cheese eyeballs, take about 1 teaspoon of the mixture and form it around an olive, leaving the large end with the pimento exposed. Place on prepared baking sheet with "eye" staring upward at a slight angle. Repeat with all of the olives. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
The appetizer may be frozen, uncovered, at this point. Once frozen, place in a zip-top bag, squeeze out all the air, and seal. Let them thaw slowly in the refrigerator before baking. They should be cold when they go into the oven, but not frozen.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking liners or parchment paper.
Bake cheese eyeballs in preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Serve warm.
Yield: 24
Cheese Eyeballs Recipe Photo © 2008 Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, licensed to About.com, Inc.
