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Cranberry, Pecan and White Cheddar Cheese Ball

An easy holiday cheese ball made with cranberries, pecans and white cheddar cheese

By tastykitchen · From Open Recipes · 6 ingredients
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Cranberry, Pecan and White Cheddar Cheese Ball

Why it works: Cream cheese and cheddar cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 467 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

Cranberry, Pecan and White Cheddar Cheese Ball

Serves 6
Prep15 min
Cook5 min

Ingredients

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

479Calories
13 gProtein
40 gFat
23 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Pecans1 oz (28g / ~19 halves)196
Cheddar Cheese1 oz (28g)113
Cream Cheese1 oz (28g)99
Grape1/2 cup (76g)62
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By tastykitchen. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cream cheese + cheddar cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together467 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  2. Pecans + cream cheesetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together465 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  3. Pecans + cheddar cheesetop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together71 recipes

    Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

  4. Cheddar cheese + saucetop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together838 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  5. Cream cheese + saucetop 24% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together461 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanoic acid (soapy, waxy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the pecans

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream cheese, cheddar cheese, sauce):

  1. Beansfits better
  2. Pecansthe original
  3. Peanutfits about as well
  4. Sesamefits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against cream cheese, cheddar cheese, sauce. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.