Hot & Spicy Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball
Celebrating with delicious food is what my family does best. Whether it’s a few simple snacks or an all out theme party, we love to plan food for sports events. Sometimes I think my children love to watch sports just because of our snack foods and sports traditions.
Now that college basketball is here I thought a basketball theme snack table would be fun.
I think our basketball themed snack table got more attention than the game last weekend! With bowls of cheesy crunch and a basketball shaped cheese ball I can see why.
Let me tell you about this Hot & Spicy Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball… ah-mazing! No one could walk away from the deliciousness! It was super easy to make too! (Look for the recipe at the bottom of this post.)
For a quick and easy basketball theme snack table- without buying lots of basketball decor I’d only use a few times a year- I stuck to a black, white and orange color scheme with some fun decor from my kids’ craft area. 
Orange and white twine plus a foam basketball sticker made our simple orange drink pop. 
Toothpick markers marked with Go Team and symbol for defense dressed up simple bowls of Cheez-It Hot & Spicy Grooves and Cheez-It Srirarcha Snack Mix.
*tip – Large boxes of Cheez-It products are 3 for $8 at Target (until the 1st week of April), so I stocked up for our snack table. With delicious real cheese in Cheez-It Baked Snacks, I knew I better have plenty to go around! 
And the star of the party…
Hot & Spicy Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball
Ingredients:
- 2- 8oz blocks of cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 oz packet of ranch dressing mix
- 1/4 cup crumbled, cooked bacon
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
- Cheez-It Hot & Spicy Grooves
Directions:
Using a mixer, whip the softened cream cheese with cheddar cheese.
Mix in ranch seasoning, crumbled bacon, and green onion.
Roll the cream cheese mixture into a ball shape.
*tip – Spray your hands with cooking spray, for easier rolling with less cream cheese left on your hands.
Finely rush about a cup of Cheez-It Hot & Spicy Grooves.
Pour the crushed Cheez-It Hot & Spicy Grooves on a plate, and roll the cheese ball in the crushed crackers until well coated.
Place the cheese ball on a serving tray, then use string licorice to create basketball lines.
*tip – make a plain clear serving tray pop by folding a fat quarter of fabric to fit the size of the tray. Simply set the tray on top of the fabric and fill it with food. As the tray empties, your party table will continue to pop with theme color and pattern!
Surround the cheese ball with your favorite crackers and serve!
Stop by Target for a great deal on Cheez-It crackers for your basketball watching party! You’ll find the Cheez-It crackers in the Signal the Seasons Savor Spot section or near the checkout line.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HoopsWithCrunch #CollectiveBias
I love cheese balls, and this one sounds so yummy! It’s absolutely adorable too! I think my littles would really get a kick out of it.
What a great way to switch up game day appetizers. Cheez It is a really good quality brand.
That looks pretty easy to make and my son would definitely love it.
Yummy! Unfortunately, my husband is not fan of any SPICY snacks due to his heartburn. And he loves bacon snacks. Maybe I would like to think how to switch non-spicy snacks from that. Anyway, thank you for sharing!
Oh yum! Cheeseballs are pretty popular when I host anyways, but bacon makes this one even better.
Thanks so much for sharing! I usually don’t do any sports themed foods/snacks. But with your step by step pics and recipe for the cheese ball I think I will give it a try!
Mouth watering just reading the title of this post….and then the pictures. Awesome!
I love cheese ball recipes! I’ll leave out the bacon because I’m a vegetarian, but I’m totally making this next time my stepson is around.
This would be great for cook out! I love easy appetizers that I can whip together. Pinning!
This looks delicious. I’m making it this weekend 🙂
I love the basketball theme! The style of the cheese spread sounds delicious too! Thanks
So creative and beautiful! I love this snack idea! Perfect for the party 🙂
I am a cheese fanatic so this looks great. It would be great for a party!!
I have no interest in basketball but I have a giant interest in those snacks! That cheese ball looks amazing!
I love, love cheeseballs! My kids are obsessed with crackers so this is going to be a must at our party.
Those balls look really delicious, I´ll give a try next sunday morning. =)
That looks super tasty!! I pinned this for later 😉
Your entire setup is perfect! I love that it looks like a little basketball. Adorable!
Thanks!
I love this with the spiciness. What a great basketball game day snack!
I am up for anything that has cheese in it and is spicy! This looks so good and I love that you designed it to look like a little basketball, that’s so adorable!
This looks a great snack set up for a party.
Looks delish! Pinning for later.
The cheese ball sounds delicious! You had me at bacon and ranch yum!
Thanks so much for sharing all of these basketball party ideas, especially that delicious cheese ball recipe. Yum! #client
What a clever way to use Cheez-Its! I have never made a cheese ball before but this looks easy enough.
Yum! Looks like a delish recipe to try for a snack after a break while watching movie or sports with the family.
I love the basketball, turned out so cute! We love Cheez It Crackers, need to try these new ones.
I love this idea! You really went all out with the theme – perfect for March Madness 🙂 I am totally borrowing your idea of using a colorful piece of fabric to place under a clear tray for a pop of color!
wow, I was quite intrigued by this Hot & Spicy Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball. This could be a nice snack item 🙂
The combination of cheese, the ranch dressing, some bacon, and Cheez It totally makes this recipe rock. It’s easy-to-prepare and I just know that this is delish.
It was really easy!
Well this set up could encourage the entire neighbourhood to drop by so be very careful…LOL…
Very true!!
This is so cute and looks like it would taste amazing! I would be all over this if it was out at a party 😉
Oh! I bet those crackers are delicious on their own too. I don’t do pork, but I am going to make this with turkey bacon.
You really know how to throw a party! Love this idea and clever decorations.
Love themed food! And bacon goes great with everything!
What a fun theme to prepare and it is no secret that we also love cookies! I will definitely consider this basketball theme for our next son’s birthday. Thanks for sharing!