This post is sponsored by California Ripe Olives through Kitchen Play. All content and opinions are my own.
Feta Cheese-Covered Olives is a fun and incredibly flavorful appetizer made with olives covered in a feta cheese mixture and rolled in crushed hazelnuts.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how awesome is Summer!? I can’t get enough of this wonderful weather.
In the summertime, life is as sweet as can be. The days move slower, the food tastes better, and we look a million times prettier! Wouldn’t you agree?
Tan lines, chlorine-bleached hair and sandy toes are waaaay sweeter than a frostbite. Buh-lieve me.
Also? Let’s be honest. On a scale of 1 to 10, how good are these Feta Cheese-Covered Olives? I give them a hundred!
You know what’s totally interesting? According to this infographic from California Ripe Olives, olives are considered a FRUIT! I had NO idea. None.
Another fact about olives? California Ripe Olives are cured for 7 days! Aaaaand the recipe used for curing those olives was created back in the 1800’s! Personally, I find that incredibly cool, and I love the taste!
I am known to snack on those tasty bites every so often, which would be in line with this study that suggests working moms are more likely to snack on the weekends compared to working dads.
I’m also with the 44% who agree that olives are the perfect party snack!
In fact, I used black olives to create this flavorful appetizer.
This is a really lovely dish that starts with cheese and ends with olives. California Ripe Olives, feta cheese, cream cheese, and hazelnuts are all you will need to create your next, most delicious starter. It is the sort of snack that you can eat and feel like you’re indulging in the good life. It’s luxurious.
Creamy, bright, salty, rich, and delicious. It’s a bit different, but totally tasty!
I’ll be honest… I inhaled the first 10. Buuuut, my husband inhaled the next 15. My Mom was tiny upset because I only had 3 left for her and my Dad. Not sure how they split it, but something tells me that Mom didn’t share…
Now, I’d love to see how you like to eat your olives, and by doing so, you will be entered to win this wonderful prize pack!
You can be entered to win by joining my Olives Recipes Pinterest Board dedicated to snacking with California Ripe Olives! If you’d like, you can pin directly from the California Ripe Olives Pinterest Account. Check out the full set of guidelines at KitchenPLAY by clicking here. Please leave a comment below letting me know that you would like to be invited to pin to my “Olives Recipes” Pinterest Board. Include your Pinterest email in the comment.
For more recipe ideas using olives, you can follow California Ripe Olives on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.
ENJOY!
Feta Cheese-Covered Olives
Ingredients
- 1 can black California Ripe Olives
- 1 package (8-oz) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill
- 1/2 cup finely crushed hazelnuts (you can use any nuts)
Instructions
- Drain olives and pat dry with paper towel. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, feta cheese and dill;mix until thoroughly combined.
- Place crushed hazelnuts in a shallow dish.
- Mold 1 teaspoon cheese-mixture around each olive; shape into a ball.
- Roll each cheese-covered olive in chopped hazelnuts and set on a serving platter.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until firm.
- Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Categories:
This post is sponsored by California Ripe Olives through Kitchen Play. All content and opinions are my own.
***GIVEAWAY INSTRUCTIONS***
You can be entered to win by joining my Olives Recipes Pinterest Board dedicated to snacking with California Ripe Olives! If you’d like, you can pin directly from the California Ripe Olives Pinterest Account. Check out the full set of guidelines at KitchenPLAY by clicking here. Please leave a comment below letting me know that you would like to be invited to pin to my “Olives Recipes” Pinterest Board. Include your Pinterest email in the comment.
One of you who contributes to this board between July 2nd and July 9th, will be randomly selected to win the prize, which includes:
- Trio of Entertaining Bowls
- Olive Dish
- Colander/Cutting Board Combo
- Serving Tray
- Cocktail Picks
- Mason Jars
- Can Opener
can i made it night before i serve it?
HI! Yep, you can definitely prepare these the night before, but keep them refrigerated.
I served these last night at a dinner party and they were really good! I don’t like nuts so I only added hazelnuts to half and the other half I rolled in a light coating of dried parsley. A few people said they liked the parsley ones better. Maybe hazelnut just isn’t a popular nut around here. Next time I’ll try another nut.
This is nothing against the recipe, but I did find it really difficult to cover the olives with the mixture. I had to do it in a few batches so I could put the mixture back into the fridge to harden up a bit.
This was a big hit at my daughter’s graduation party. I swapped cheddar for feta and pecans for hazelnuts. Thanks!
Hi Dawn!! Thanks so much! AND thank you for the idea – next time, I am going to use cheddar cheese, too! 🙂
LOVE these! I make a version with olives rolled in a combo of feta, bleu cheese and a tiny bit of cream cheese, rolled in chopped pecans. Another idea would be to use shredded cheddar instead of the feta, with green olives… (not to mention subbing a grape for the olives – also fabulous, especially when laid out on the plate like a grape cluster!)
oh, the possibilities!!!
I have a nut allergy, so would something like Panko breadcrumbs work for this?
Hi Kori! Yes, you can absolutely use panko crumbs. I would toast them a little – for like a minute – just to get a bit of a crunch. The crunchy texture works really well with the soft feta cheese.
I rolled half of mine in nuts and half in some dried parsley (a light, scattered coat) and that worked well!
Usually one night on the weekend I make a finger food tray for just me and the hubby. I pop open a bottle of wine and call it dinner! The feta covered olives will be a great variation from just plain olives! I don’t know if I can wait till the weekend to try it!