Name: Cheese Balls Three Ways
Prep time: 10 min
Yield: 30
Ingredients: 1 package FOR THE GOAT CHEESE-SCALLION CHEESE BALL:; 8 ounces, weight (8 Oz. Size) Cream Cheese, Softened; 2 Tablespoons Goat Cheese; 2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Scallions; 2 teaspoons Unsalted Butter, Softened; ¼ teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice; 1 dash Hot Sauce; 1 pinch Worcestershire Sauce; ⅓ cups Salt And Pepper; 1 package Chopped Fresh Parsley; ¾ cups Crackers And Sliced Vegetables, For Serving; 2 Tablespoons FOR THE BACON, CHEDDAR AND HORSERADISH CHEESE BALL:; 1 Tablespoon (8 Oz. Size) Cream Cheese, Softened; 1 Tablespoon Finely Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese; 1-½ teaspoon Finely Chopped Scallions; 1 pinch Prepared Horseradish; 2 slices Chopped Fresh Parsley; ¼ cups Worcestershire Sauce; 2 Tablespoons Salt And Pepper; 1 package Cooked Bacon, Cooled And Crumbled; 6 Tablespoons Chopped, Toasted Walnuts; ¼ teaspoons Diced Pimientos; ¾ cups Crackers And Sliced Vegetables, For Serving; 2 Tablespoons FOR THE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE CHEESE BALL:; ⅔ cups (8 Oz. Size) Cream Cheese, Softened; ¾ cups Unsalted Butter, Softened

Why it works: Goat cheese and cream cheese share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 44 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

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.

Goat cheese + cream cheesetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together44 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Lemon + parsleytop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,037 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together34,122 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together27,047 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Cheese + cream cheesetop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together473 recipes

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

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

Swap the parsley

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (goat cheese, cheese, cream cheese, butter, lemon, sauce, pepper):

Thymefits about as well
Parsleythe original
Dillfits about as well
Tarragonfits about as well

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

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Chocolate	1 oz (28g) semisweet	155
Vegetable	1 tbsp (14g)	120
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Goat Cheese	1 oz (28g)	103
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Cream Cheese	1 oz (28g)	99
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bacon	1 slice cooked (8g)	43
Walnut	1 walnut half (4g)	26
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Horseradish	not in our table	0

Cheese Balls Three Ways