Ditch the sugary candy and go for a healthier Halloween snack! This hand-shaped cheese ball wrapped in cured meats is the ideal protein-packed party snack.

A charcuterie board features a Halloween hand-shaped cheese ball centerpiece, surrounded by various cheeses and meats, with a lit candle and breadsticks in the background.

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Halloween is a fun time to experiment with food, especially with kids who love trying spooky snacks. Sadly, Halloween is also usually a time for lots of candy.

There are healthier options, though, like this severed hand cheese ball! This spooky cheese ball becomes creepier when wrapped in layers of cured meats like salami or prosciutto. It’s the ultimate savory treat for your Halloween party table: easy to make, fun to assemble, and delicious!

Why Make a Hand-Shaped Cheese Ball?

A cheese ball shaped like a creepy hand is a centerpiece that will have your guests doing double-takes before trying it!

This recipe is completely customizable. While I share a cheese ball recipe that blends cream cheese, salted cod, and seasonings, you can use any cheese ball recipe you like! You can also play with using different meats to cover the hand.

Making a cheese ball shaped like a hand is a fun and spooky Halloween activity.

Ingredients

This simple cheese ball only uses a few simple ingredients. The main bulk of the cheese ball is made with cream cheese. I also added some salted cod, and dried onion and garlic powder.

I used to make a seafood cheeseball that used surimi (imitation crab meat). These days, though, I try to keep my recipes as clean as possible! Surimi has artificial colors and flavors as well as cornstarch and sugar!

Because I love the taste of fish with cream cheese, I experimented with salted cod as a healthier alternative. We loved the result. (Especially my husband, who finished off a small cheese ball at one meal!)

I was going to use grated cheese in the cheese ball, but decided against it. I didn’t want the final recipe to be too salty. The cheese balls in the photo above were for making eyeballs for a creepy face cheese ball.

A hand holds a cracker with spread, over a platter featuring a Halloween-themed charcuterie board shaped like a skull, with various meats and cheeses.

Instructions:

First, we’ll make the cheese ball mixture. If you don’t want to follow this recipe, feel free to use any other cheese ball recipe that you like.

Then, we’ll form the chees ball into a hand shape and cover it with cured meats.

Making the cheese ball mixture

Before mixing the ingredients, we’ll prepare the cod by soaking it in water. This rehydrates it and removes some of the excess salt. Because the cod is salty, you don’t need to add extra salt to the cheese ball. To adjust the saltiness of the recipe, you can adjust the soaking time of the cod. I wanted to keep some saltiness in the cod, so I soaked it for less time than what is normally done for recipes.

Four-panel image showing steps to make the cheese ball mixture. Panel 1: salted cod in a bowl of water. Panel 2: cod strained. Panel 3: The cream cheese with seasonings. Panel 4: mixture smoothened with a spatula mixing the ingredients together

Soak the salted cod in cold water for about an hour, changing the water every 15 minutes to remove the excess salt.
Then, strain the cod, removing as much water as possible. Break it up into small pieces.
In a large bowl, mix softened cream cheese, shredded cod, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Shaping the Halloween hand

Steps of making a hand-shaped cheese ball: cream cheese base, covering it with sliced salami and adding cheese fingernails, Steps 5 to 8.

On a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper, mold the cheese mixture into a rough hand shape. Make an oval for the palm, and then shape five “fingers” coming from the top. Use a spatula to refine the details, making the fingers more distinct.
Lay slices of salami or prosciutto across the cheese hand.
Overlap the slices of cured meat to create the effect of the skin. Tuck the ends of the meat slices under the hand to hide any seams.
You can optionally add fingernails to your hand. I used cheese shaped in witch finger molds.

Chill and serve the cheese ball

Refrigerate the hand cheese ball for at least 1 hour to let the flavors meld and the shape set.

When ready to serve it, place the hand on a platter and surround it with a variety of meats and cheeses. To make it even more festive, add cheese molded into shapes or cheese cut with cookie cutters.

A charcuterie board with a meat and cheese hand design on a wooden board, accompanied by a purple candle and another board with assorted snacks in the background.

Expert tips

Don’t worry about making the hand perfect—it’s Halloween! Uneven or twisted fingers can add to the spooky effect.
If you’re struggling with freehand sculpting, you can use a hand-shaped mold to help shape the cheese mixture. You may need to slightly freeze the mixture so it holds its shape when unmolding. Or try lining the mold with the cured meats and fill it with the cheese mixture.
For an added creepy effect, use prosciutto to look like thin, veiny skin, and salami for a more rough-textured, weathered look. Play around with different meats to make your hand appear as spooky as you like!
Serve the hand with blood-red marinara sauce or green guacamole to enhance the Halloween atmosphere.

Video

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Spooky Halloween Hand Cheese Ball Recipe

Ditch the sugary candy and go for a healthier Halloween snack! This hand-shaped cheese ball wrapped in cured meats is the ideal protein-packed party snack.

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Prep Time: 15

soaking time & chill time: 2

Total Time: 2 15

Servings: servings (approximately 2 Tablespoons)

Author: Tracy Ariza, DDS

Ingredients

▢ 450 g cream cheese (2 8oz packages)
▢ 100 g salted cod
▢ 2 teaspoons dried onion
▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder