Red Velvet Cheese Ball

I really love Wit and Whistle.  It's such a fun site and blog, and she shares the yummiest treats.  I've been dying to make her red velvet cheese ball, and with Valentine's Day found my excuse.  I whipped one up, smooshed it into a heart, and set my coworkers loose on it.  Success!

Look how adorable that is!  I was forced to be the one to "ruin" it by cutting it in the office.  There was a lot of ooing over the heart shape, and scoffing when I told them "no really, you have a ball, and you just smoosh it with your hands into a heart shape".  It's like playing with a big lump of clay in art class all over again.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups red velvet cake mix, dry
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• Assorted cookies and crackers (I used Nilla Wafers and chocolate graham crackers.  Nilla wafers were the best.)

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add in the red velvet cake mix and sugars, and beat until well incorporated.  
2. Turn the mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
3. Put the chocolate chips on a plate or in a shallow dish.  Take the cheese ball out of the fridge and unwrap one part, while keeping the other (and your hand) nicely protected in plastic wrap.  Carefully roll the exposed part of the ball on the chocolate chips, pressing slightly so they stick.  Then peel off the rest of the wrap and, holding the chocolate-chippy side, repeat the rolling/pressing process with the unfinished side.  Strategically mush chips into bare and not-as-chocolate-covered parts.
4. If desired, mush into a heart.  Place your hands around the finished cheese ball and gently press your fingertips around the top to form a heart shape.  Flatten the ball slightly and repeat.  Press along the sides and coax it a bit to get a point at the bottom.  Keep pressing in at the top for the crease, flattening, and pressing the sides until you're happy.  Then check for bald spots and fill in with more chocolate chips, you fiend!
5. Refrigerate until ready to serve.  I let mine sit out about 10 minutes before serving so the cream cheese would soften a bit.  You do need a knife or spoon to portion off parts of the ball/heart- the cookies and graham crackers aren't strong enough to just scrape directly.