Say hello to your new favourite cocktail garnish…
These Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives are ridiculously easy to make and if you thought your enjoyed an ice cold martini before, I am about to blow your mind.
A little blue cheese, some cream cheese and a splash of heavy cream blitz into creamy heaven that is the perfect filling for firm, briny green olives. Perfect just like this or try my Lemon Pepper and Buffalo versions! Honestly, they’re so good.
I cannot resist a stuffed olive. Or any olive, really. A far cry from my childhood when I thought they were evil in food form. Now, I have a not-so-mild obsession with these briny little mouthfuls of deliciousness. And the blue cheese stuffed ones are truly my favourite. I adore them as they are, but try adding a little hot sauce for a kicked up Buffalo Blue Olives version. OMG.
I have eaten so many of these little beauties and I just can’t stop. And look at them in this frosty, crisp martini… go ahead and make one. It doesn’t matter if it’s 10 am. No judgements here.
Scroll past the recipe if you’re looking for tips, substitutions, questions, etc. and details on how to make this recipe, but if you want to get straight to it, here’s my recipe-ish…
Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
Ingredients
- 24-36 pitted green olives*
- 4 oz blue cheese
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1-2 tsp heavy cream
For serving**:
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Lemon zest
Instructions
- Add the blue cheese and the cream cheese to a small food processor and whiz until well blended and smooth.
- If the mixture isn’t blending well and seems dry, add in heavy cream, 1 tsp at a time, and keep mixing until smooth.
- Add the mixture to a piping bag and fill the olives.
- Place on a serving plate and garnish with some freshly cracked black pepper and lemon zest, or serve in a cold martini.
Notes
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp black pepper To make a spicy Buffalo version, add to the cheese mixture:
1 Tbsp hot sauce
Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives ingredients, tips, substitutions:
Olives – obvs. Use the highest quality, bright green, firm olives that have been pitted. If selecting olives at the bulk olive bar, make sure they’re nice and firm and not squishy or they’ll just fall apart when you try to stuff them. Large olives hold more filling and also mean you won’t be stuffing olives all the live long day.
Blue Cheese – we’re mixing the creamy blue cheese with cream cheese which means the flavour will be muted a bit, so don’t be scared of a good, pungent blue cheese here. Gorgonzola is milder, but really good, or pick Stilton, or a Roquefort which has more bite.
Cream Cheese – tub or brick is fine. If it’s brick cream cheese, make sure it’s at room temperature so it mixes well. You can also use cream cheese or even Boursin as a substitution.
Food Processor – I absolutely love my mini food processor and I use it all the time. You can use a regular sized one too. You really don’t need any special tools though, these do whip up just fine by hand with a spoon, just be sure to mix well until very smooth.
Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives Recipe Variations:
Lemon Pepper Version – into the cheese mixture add 1 tsp of fresh lemon zest and 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper.
Spicy Buffalo Version – this is my fave! Into the cheese mixture add about a tablespoon of your favourite hot sauce.
Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives Recipe, how to make it…
We’re diving into the easiest way to instantly upgrade your holiday cocktail. hour – or any day really… I like Tuesday, for example.
If you love bold, creamy, salty, briny flavours, this recipe is for you. You also should probably like blue cheese.
Grab your mini food processor if you have one, a big one will work too. Into the bowl goes the blue cheese and the cream cheese. Let it whiz until the cheeses come together into a beautifully smooth, creamy spread. Don’t have a food processor? Just use a mixing bowl and a spoon, but be ready to put a little muscle into it.
If the mixture is being a bit stubborn and feels dry, don’t panic, just drizzle in a little heavy cream, a teaspoon at a time, and give it another mix. Repeat until you’ve got a silky smooth cheese mixture.
Transfer the mixture into a piping bag. (No piping bag? A plastic bag with the corner snipped off works just as well.) Now we stuff. You can use regular green olives, but I prefer the jumbo queen olives for a couple of reasons… they’re easier to stuff and they hold way more cheesy goodness.
Gently pipe the cheese mixture into the olives. You’re aiming to completely fill the inside with a satisfying little mound of filling peeking out of the top.
Once all your olives are stuffed, arrange them on a plate. Garnish with freshly cracked black pepper and some lemon zest, if desired. Serve with fancy toothpicks.
Pro-tip: Cocktail time. These stuffed olives can serve a higher purpose than just sitting on a plate…they’re second calling is as a cocktail garnish. They absolutely belong in a freezing cold, crisp martini…. or a Caesar… or a Bloody Mary! Skewer a few, drop them into your glass, and enjoy a cocktail with a snack built right in. Feel free to reload your skewer as needed.
looking for ideas for what to serve with this Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives recipe? try these…
- I think these would go beautifully with my Tomato Garlic Confit and a little crusty bread. Insanely easy and super impressive.
- Add in a bowl of my Everything Bagel Cashews, my Spicy Chicken Tenders and a bowl of buffalo sauce and get the cocktail party started.
- You could also serve them alongside these Garlic Butter Chicken Wings or these Truffle Butter Steak Bites for a slightly fancier affair.
If you like this Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives Recipe let me know what you think in the comments below and please find and follow me on Social Media!
