Baked Cheese Olives Recipe

Baked Cheese Olives are a favorite appetizer recipe from the 1950s with many versions available.  This recipe is one of my favorite appetizers that I like to make for parties.  Usually I make a double batch of baked cheese olives, store them in the freezer, and then pull out what I need and bake them.

They are crisp on the outside with a briny surprise inside.  The cheesy dough bakes up crispy and tender in the oven while the olive becomes warm and juicy.  Biting into these small olive appetizers and finding a little olive treasure tucked inside is so much fun.  These appetizers are always the hit of the party as they are so delicious!

The recipe was originally shared with me by Rebecca Hunt of Santa Paula, California.

 

Baked Cheese Olives

 

Baked Cheese Olives Recipe:
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Baked Cheese Olives Recipe
Servings: 40 cheese olive balls
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature or softened
  • 2 cups sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup flour, all-purpose
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (your favorite)
  • 40 large green olives (with pimentos)
Instructions
  1. In a medium-size bowl using your mixer (pastry blender or a fork may also be used), cream together the butter and cheese until smooth.  Mix in flour, paprika, cumin, and hot sauce.  Cover bowl and refrigerate at least one (1) hour.  Note can be made ahead a day ahead.

  2. Dry olives on paper towels. With a ball of cheese mixture that is close in size to the olive, flatten the cheese mixture in your palm, plop the olive in the center, work the mixture up around the olive, and then very gently roll it around between your palms.  Make sure the cheese mixture completely seals in the olive. Repeat with remaining olives.

  3. Place the cheese-wrapped olives on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in freezer until frozen.  Once frozen, you can store in re-sealable plastic bags in the freezer until you are read to bake them.

Baked Cheese Olives:
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

  2. If you are planning to bake immediately, place the prepared cheese olives in the freezer for about 15 minutes.  Prior to baking, remove from the freezer and allow to stand at room temperature for approximately 15 minute (while the oven is heating).  Place olives on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool to slightly warm.

  3. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm.

  4. Makes 40 cheese olive balls.

Comments and Reviews

6 Responses to “Baked Cheese Olives Recipe”

  1. Pam

    I have just baked some for tomorrow’s thanksgiving meal. How should I store the baked ahead ones? I have 3 types, jalapeno stuffed, sun dried tomato stuffed and blue cheese stuffed.

    Reply
    • Linda Stradley

      Once baked, they should be immediately be served. I’m just not sure how they would hold up.

      Reply
  2. Jerri

    My friend serves cold and are delicious.
    Hers do not have cumin or the hot sauce.
    I am going to try yours.

    Reply
  3. Michelle Miller

    I used to make these years ago and lost my recipe! So glad to find this!!! Thank you for posting!

    Reply
    • Nancy

      Glad we could help! Happy Holidays
      Nancy

      Reply
  4. Jan

    Well I don’t know what I did wrong. I used to make this recipe 50 years ago. I followed the instructions, but the dough was so dry that I decided to add more butter. That only made a mess once I baked them because the buttery mixture slid off the olives during baking. My bad for not trying it before I was to take it to a church function.

    Reply

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