Baked Olive Cheese Balls

Impressive Make Ahead Olive Appetizer

Olive Cheese Balls, also referred to as Baked Cheese Olives, or Hot Cheese Olives, is a classic appetizer recipe dating back to the 1950s – which means it’s been around for close to 70 years! They’re that good. Plus, they go perfectly with another icon of the ’50s – martinis, Robert’s and my favorite cocktail.

Versions of this recipe have been given to me over the years, dating back to the early 1980s when I was living in Minneapolis, and one of my roommates made them for a cocktail party we were hosting. I had forgotten about them, until a few years ago when my cousin Beth Kidwell gave me a slightly different version. The basic ingredients are the same; it’s the method that’s different. And the Olive Cheese Balls recipe I’m sharing today is my adaptation of those two versions.

How to Make Olive Cheese Balls

Crispy, briny, slightly nutty tasting, pimiento-stuffed green olives are nestled in a scrumptious crust of butter and Cheddar cheese spiked with paprika and cayenne pepper. After baking, these little bites of deliciousness are flaky and cheesy on the outside, juicy and tangy on the inside. Yum!!

Here are the steps to follow in assembling and baking these delectable little bites:

1. Dry olives. Drain liquid from olives and place on paper towel to dry. Make sure they are very dry before wrapping with the pastry.
2. Combine dry ingredients for dough. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup flour, paprika, salt and cayenne. Set aside.
3. Combine butter and cheese. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy. Beat in the cheese until well blended.
4. Add flour mixture; refrigerate dough. Blend in the flour mixture just until combined. Mix in additional flour as needed. The dough should be crumbly and fairly dry, but hold together when pinched. (If it’s too wet, it will spread when baked.) Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
5. Enclose olives in dough. Pinch off a piece of dough around the size of a walnut half; flatten into a thin, oval shape and wrap around an olive, enclosing it completely. Make sure the dough is tight around the olive. Place on a cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and olives.
6. Chill olives. Refrigerate olives until very cold – at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
7. Prep oven and baking dish. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper.
8. Bake olives. Place refrigerated (cold) cheese olives on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until dough is set and they are lightly browned.
9. Cool and serve. Cool baked olives for a few minutes, then serve.

Tips on Preparing Cheese Olive Balls

These Cheese Olives are easy to prepare, but you do need to pay attention to my directions and ingredient quantities. Here are my tips that ensure they’ll come out perfect, every time:

• Place the olives on paper towel to dry before wrapping. This is a must! Otherwise, the briny liquid makes the pastry dough too wet.
• Use an electric mixer. It’s important to make sure that the ingredients are blended together well. Otherwise, the dough can be dry and crumbly, making it difficult to wrap the olives. I’ve never done it, but you could probably use a food processor as well.
• Don’t add all the flour at once. Too much flour will also make the dough dry; not enough and the dough will be wet and spread when baked. The amount of flour needed depends on the quantity of water in your butter, as well as the humidity levels where you live – and on the day you’re cooking. So, add 1/2 cup flour to start, then add more if the dough is too wet.
• Refrigerate the pastry-wrapped olives before baking. Having made these balls several times, I find they come out best if prepared and then refrigerated for at least 1 hour before baking. If the dough is too warm, it can spread and they don’t keep a nice rounded shape.

What are the best olives to use?

The traditional recipes for Cheese Olive Balls call for Manzanilla, or small green pimiento-stuffed olives, usually from Spain. I think their briny, nutty and a bit smoky flavor pairs perfectly with the Cheddar cheese in the crust.

What kind of cheese do you eat with olives?

With the Manzanilla olives, Cheddar cheese is the perfect flavor match. And, it’s semi-soft texture means it will melt easily. Use a good quality, sharp Cheddar for the most flavor.

How to Serve this Olive Ball Recipe

I like to place the baked olives on a serving platter and pass them to my guests. Make sure they have a napkin as sometimes the cheese in the dough can make them a tad greasy.

How to Store Baked Cheese Balls

If making ahead, prepare the olives but don’t bake. Place on an unlined cookie sheet in a single layer and freeze. Once frozen, move to a ziptop baggie and place back in the freezer. They will keep for around 1 month.