Cherry Cheese Log

by Sabrina Snyder

Last Update:

8 Comments

5 from 3 votes
14
Prep Time 10 minutes
Refrigerated Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
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Cherry Cheese Log is a festive holiday appetizer that’s creamy, sweet, and nutty. A crowd-pleasing, make-ahead favorite!

You won’t attend a party this season without running into a savory cheeseball or two but just like my Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheeseball, this cherry log is more of a dessert before dinner kind of Appetizer Recipe. It’s sweet and creamy, balanced by crunchy, buttery pecans. 

Sabrina’s Cherry Cheese Log Recipe

This recipe is large enough to make 2 full appetizers, which is great for prepping ahead. You can pop one of your Cherry Cheese Logs in the refrigerator until your guests have gobbled down the first one. Or, if you are making them for a Christmas Eve party, save one of the logs for snacking on the next day while opening presents or to dress up a Christmas morning brunch.

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Cherry Cheese Log Recipe

Cherry Cheese Log is a festive holiday appetizer that's creamy, sweet, and nutty. A crowd-pleasing, make-ahead favorite!
Yield 14
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Cream cheese log with cherry topping
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 10 ounces maraschino cherries
  • 24 ounces cream cheese , 3 blocks (packages) softened
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 orange , zested
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 cup pecans , chopped

Instructions

  • Drain the cherries, then rinse them very well.
  • Chop the cherries, rinse them again and dry them with a paper towel until the paper towel is not becoming red every time it touches them (the cherries must be very dry and well rinsed).
  • In your stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese, sugar, orange zest, and ground ginger until well combined then barely fold in the cherries.
  • Scoop the cream cheese mixture onto a large 15×30 piece of plastic wrap.
  • Shape the cream cheese into a log like mixture then close the plastic wrap over it and twist the edges in opposite directions until you have a tight log shape.
  • Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  • Remove the cheese from the refrigerator and unroll from the plastic wrap then roll it in the pecan pieces until well coated.

Nutrition

Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 153mg | Potassium: 115mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 687IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 0.3mg

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Table of contents

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About this Recipe

Cherry Cheese Logs are so easy to make, especially when you start with softened cream cheese. I recommend leaving it out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before starting. It’ll not only make the mixing process easier, but it’ll prevent lumps throughout the logs too.

If you’ve forgotten to take it out, don’t worry, you can always microwave it by placing 1 block of completely unwrapped cream cheese at a time into a microwave-safe bowl and microwaving it for 15 seconds. 

Can This be Made Ahead of Time

Yes, Cherry Cheese Logs make a great make-ahead party appetizer.

You’ll want to combine all the ingredients to form the cheese log, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then again in foil before placing them into the refrigerator. Doing so not only helps to keep their shape but also allows them to last longer. You can make the recipe up to 6 days in advance.

On the day of the party, pull the logs out and roll them in pecans. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving for easier dipping.

What to Pair with

Cherry Cheese Logs can be served alongside so many different options. Include pretzels, water crackers, vanilla wafers, graham crackers or even apple slices for your guests to choose from. This appetizer is so good you won’t want to save it just for Christmas time, you’ll want to have it for all of your birthdays, showers, and Super Bowl parties.

How to Serve and Store

  • Serve: Don’t leave the cheese log out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours. 
  • Store: Cheese Logs should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then again in foil before placing them in the refrigerator for upt to 6 days.
  • Freeze: Cherry Cheese Logs are great to make ahead of time. Before adding the pecans, wrap the log in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe storage bag. It will be good for up to 3 months.

Variations

  • Fruit: Change up the fruit or berries in this cheese log to your favorite. Adding cranberries would be a fun, festive twist during the holidays.
  • Nuts: You can always swap out the pecans for a nut you like better, like almonds or walnuts. Adding some chopped pistachios inside and out would go perfectly with the cherries.
  • Spiced: Mix equal parts cream cheese and white cheddar cheese, add in dried cherries, and season with Pumpkin Pie Spice. Finish off by rolling in pecans for a spiced version for fall.

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Collage of cheese log served with crackers

These photos were used in a previous version of this post

Cherry Pecan Cheese Log shown from the side
Cheese Log with Cherries and Pecans and Orange
Cheese log rolled in pecans and topped with cherries

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

      1. What to Serve with your Cherry Cheese Log:

        Cherry Cheese Logs can be served alongside so many different options. Include pretzels, water crackers, vanilla wafers, graham crackers or even apple slices for your guests to choose from.

        Reply

  3. I haven’t made it yet, but I printed it out and I’ve got my list! Anything with cherries and cream cheese, I’m here for it! Can’t go wrong.

    Reply