Cranberry Goat Cheese Log
This Cranberry Goat Cheese Log is great for entertaining! It has become my favorite appetizer to serve during the holiday season. Made with my Cranberry Topping, this goat cheese log has the perfect balance of sweetness, tartness, and tanginess. This quick and easy appetizer is delicious on crackers or freshly made crostini. To make it extra easy for entertaining, this recipe can be made in advance.
This recipe is kid-friendly, and they will enjoy making it and eating it, too! Make my Cranberry Simple Syrup & Topping recipe (which is a 2-in-1 recipe) about 5 days ahead of time, then make the mixture and assemble 2 days in advance. To learn how to make this yummy appetizer recipe, see the printable recipe card below. Take a look at the recipe video, or get Step by Step Instructions for a more detailed explanation of this recipe. For other recipe variations, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in this recipe’s Blog Comments & Tips.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
Recipe Updated: 12/27/22
CRANBERRY GOAT CHEESE LOG
Ingredients
Instructions
- To a small glass mixing bowl (with airtight lid), add Cranberry Topping, ground cloves, cinnamon, cayenne pepper (optional), and orange zest, and mix to thoroughly combine. Cover tightly with lid, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight - see Note #2).
- Place a large piece of parchment paper on your work surface, then lay a large piece of plastic wrap on top of the paper. Place goat cheese log near the short end of the plastic wrap (about 5 inches away from the edge). Spread the chilled cranberry mixture all over the top and sides of the goat cheese. Then holding the plastic and paper together at the short end, gently roll it over the log. Once the log is firmly covered with plastic wrap, peel back the paper. Then continue to roll up the log in the plastic wrap, using the ends to roll. Twist the ends like a candy wrapper, and place in an airtight container, and refrigerate for at last 1 hour (or overnight - see Note #3).
- Unwrap and place on a serving plate. Serve alone with crackers or freshly made crostini. As optional garnishes, add a sprig of fresh rosemary on the plate, and sprinkle toasted & chopped pistachios on top of the log.
Notes
- My Cranberry Topping is slightly tart & lightly sweet, which works well with this recipe. If you are in a rush, buy fresh cranberry sauce (a good store bought brand is Trader Joe’s cranberry orange relish), and strain it to remove most of the liquid. If using the Trader Joe’s product, be aware that it is much sweeter, and you will need to omit the orange zest from this recipe.
- Cranberry mixture can be combined and stored refrigerated up to 3 days in advance of
- Make Ahead Instructions: Recipe can be assembled with goat cheese up to 2 days in advance.
- Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
85.68Fat (grams)
6.38Sat. Fat (grams)
4.38Carbs (grams)
1.61Fiber (grams)
0.51Net carbs
1.1Sugar (grams)
0.8Protein (grams)
5.64Sodium (milligrams)
111.2Cholesterol (grams)
13.86Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods. Optional garnishes are not included in the nutritional calculations.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
STEP 1a
To a small glass mixing bowl (with airtight lid), add ¾ cup Cranberry Topping (see Note below), ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional), and ¼ teaspoon orange zest (from ½ orange), and mix to thoroughly combine.
Note: My Cranberry Topping is slightly tart & lightly sweet, which works well with this recipe. If you are in a rush, buy fresh cranberry sauce (a good store bought brand is Trader Joe’s cranberry orange relish), and strain it to remove most of the liquid. If using the Trader Joe’s product, omit the orange zest from this recipe. If you prefer a thinner coating of the cranberry mixture, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in my Blog Comments & Tips below.
STEP 1b
Cover tightly with lid, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight - see Note below).
Note: Cranberry mixture can be combined and stored refrigerated up to 3 days in advance of assembling with goat cheese.
STEP 2a
Place a large piece of parchment paper on your work surface, then lay a large piece of plastic wrap on top of the paper. Place an 8.5 ounce plain goat cheese log near the short end of the plastic wrap (about 5 inches away from the edge). Spread the chilled cranberry mixture all over the top and sides of the goat cheese.
STEP 2b
Then holding the plastic and paper together at the short end, gently roll it over the log. Once the log is firmly covered with plastic wrap, peel back the paper. Then continue to roll up the log in the plastic wrap, using the ends to roll. Twist the ends like a candy wrapper, and place in an airtight container, and refrigerate for at last 1 hour (or overnight - see details below).
Make Ahead Instructions: Recipe can be assembled with goat cheese up to 2 days in advance.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Unwrap and place on a serving plate. Serve alone with crackers or freshly made crostini. As optional garnishes, add a sprig of fresh rosemary on the plate, and sprinkle toasted & chopped pistachios on top of the log.
VIDEO
How to Make this Cranberry Goat Cheese Log!
Blog Comments & Tips
Delicious holiday appetizer!
This Cranberry Goat Cheese Log has become my favorite appetizer to serve during the holiday season. I make my Cranberry Simple Syrup & Topping recipe (which is a 2-in-1 recipe) about 5 days ahead of time, then make the cranberry mixture and assemble 2 days in advance. About 15 minutes before guests arrive, unwrap the goat cheese log and place it on a serving platter with some crackers or crostini. Even your kids will love to help make it and eat it, which makes it the perfect holiday appetizer!
There are three benefits of making the Cranberry Simple Syrup & Topping recipe ahead. 1) It reduces stress when entertaining (one less appetizer to make on that day). 2) The flavors in the cranberry mixture have a chance to macerate, giving it a better flavor. 3) In addition to the Cranberry Topping, you will end up with Cranberry Simple Syrup as a bonus, which means you can make more interesting holiday drinks and cocktails. This make ahead recipe might just become a tradition in your holiday appetizer repertoire!
When developing this recipe, I was inspired by Trader Joe’s cranberry goat cheese log. They use dried cranberries, and although it’s tasty it doesn’t compete with the fresh flavor of the cranberry mixture made from my Cranberry Topping. This recipe has more complexity, better flavor, and better mouthfeel than biting into dried cranberries.
How do you ensure the best results from this recipe?
My 5 tips to making this Cranberry Goat Cheese Log:
Use my Cranberry Topping to start. You can purchase a delicious Silver Goat Chevre Goat Cheese at Trader Joe’s.
Refrigerate the cranberry mixture for a minimum of 1 hour. It’s best if you can refrigerate overnight or even for a couple of days to let the flavors macerate.
Refrigerate the goat cheese log overnight, if you can. Refrigeration will help the cranberry mixture stick to the goat cheese. If time doesn’t allow, refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Use both parchment paper and plastic wrap when assembling the goat cheese log. The parchment paper provides structure underneath the plastic to make it easier to roll. Without it, you will end up with a dented goat cheese log!
Press the plastic wrap snugly against the goat cheese log when rolling. This will help the cranberry mixture stick. If you consider skipping the rolling process and just pour on the cranberry mixture, think again. At room temperature, it will start to slide off. My recommendation is to stick to the instructions and roll.
Have any dietary preferences that won’t quite work with our recipe? It’s time to customize and Pimp My Recipe.
Pimp My Recipe:
Make it Spicier: For a spicier flavor, add ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper. Let it macerate for at least one hour, then taste test. If not spicy enough, add more to taste.
Make it Less Spicy: Just omit the cayenne pepper in this recipe. This recipe is actually fairly mild in spice, even though it has a small amount of cayenne pepper (which is optional).
Make it More Festive: For a festive holiday goat cheese log, toast ¼ pistachios. Then chop, and sprinkle on top of the goat cheese log just before serving.
Prefer Less Cranberry Topping? If you prefer a thinner coating of Cranberry Topping, you have two options. 1) Buy two 8.5 ounce goat cheese logs. Make the cranberry mixture as directed, and spread half the cranberry mixture onto each log (½ cup per goat cheese log). 2) If you only need 8 servings, use only ½ cup Cranberry Topping , and halve the amount of spices and zest (use only 1 pinch ground cloves, ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional), and ⅛ teaspoon orange zest (from ¼ orange).
Enjoy and let me know what you think by commenting below, rating my recipes, subscribing, following, and liking Pimp My Recipe on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Happy Cooking!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to tightly press the plastic wrap against the goat cheese log when rolling. This will help the cranberry mixture stick.
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