Bacon, Gouda, Jalapeno Cheese Log

Updated: Aug 24, 2022

This cheese log has layers of flavor! It is both fun to eat, make, and share especially during the holiday season!

Cheeseballs are a year-round staple for us! We love cheeseballs, so much so, you can find a cheeseball or log recipe in both our fall and winter cookbooks! The love stems from a variety of reasons. They taste amazing, can be made in advance, can be frozen, are easy to make, can feed a crowd, and are budget friendly! You “almost” can’t go wrong when making a cheeseball. If you use quality ingredients and taste as you go, you are sure to have a crowd pleasing appetizer!

We recently invited a few friends over to paint holiday rugs and challenged ourselves to create a charcuterie board on a $25 budget. Feeling a little adventurous we wanted something new for this board. So a new cheese log was born. We love bacon and smoked Gouda so we paired that with sweet pickled jalapeños and green onions. This log is delicious and has lots of flavor! Our friends mentioned that it is perfect for those who like savory and sweet. It was a hit and we are sure you and your guests will love it too!

Check out our recipe below and keep reading to get some of our cheeseball tips!

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Bacon, Gouda, and Jalapeno Log

Prep time: 30-90 minutes Serves: 15

Ingredients

1lb cream cheese

8 oz smoked Gouda, shredded

½ lb bacon, cooked

¼ cup green onions, finely sliced

1 tsp garlic powder

For Pickled Jalapenos

1 cup sliced jalapenos, about 4 peppers

1 cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup sugar

1 tsp salt

For Topping

⅓ cup chopped cranberries

⅓ cup chopped walnuts

2 TBS green onion, finely sliced

Directions:

Pre-Prep: Set cream cheese out to soften. Finely chop green onions. Shred Gouda. Chop walnuts and cranberries. Slice jalapenos and remove white membranes and seeds. Pickle jalapenos. Cook bacon.

For Pickled Jalapenos:

Combine vinegar, salt, and sugar in a small pot and bring to a boil. Let boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, place sliced jalapenos into a small heat proof container. Pour hot mixture over sliced jalapenos and let sit for about 1 hour.

Once jalapenos are done, remove from the liquid and finely chop. Set aside until ready to use

For topping:

Chop walnuts and cranberries by hand or with a food processor or blender and mix with sliced green onions. Set aside until ready to use.

For Cheese Log: