These Mini Cheese Balls are a perfectly festive and delicious appetizer or snacking material. And importantly, they are so easy to make.
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Hello everyone. I hope you are doing well. And I hope you did not have a snowy night like we did. Oh well, they said our area saw up to 30 centimeters. I swear our backyard saw at least 40 haha. Also, our sub-division was basically trapped because the snow removal machines showed up only after 10 hours the snowfall stopped. Needless to say, Daisy was shocked while Darry (the dog) was excited. Brave Daisy still attempted walking in a snow, and that was quite hilarious. I might show you some pictures next time.
That being said I am going to keep it extremely short because I am exhausted. (Yeah, our driveway is too long haha.)
Who loves a good cheeseball? I am not sure how about you, but we do love! Especially around the holidays. I have plenty of ideas you might like, from sweet and savoury to savoury.
Cheese Ball Ideas
Pistachio Cranberry Bacon Cheese Ball
Tangerine Pecan Pomegranate Cheese Ball
Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball
Mini Cheese Balls
This time I decided to make mini cheese balls, and they have a few great advantages. First, individual servings are often more convenient especially when a large gathering is involved. Individual servings are also elegant and somewhat cute. Next, you they’re versatile. While the cheese base is the same, you can use as many options for coating as desired. Think of various nuts (toasted and chopped), dried fruit, dried fruit, and even sun-dried tomatoes or olives. The more flavourful coatings, the better! Lastly, mini balls are easy to transfer in a container (Compared to one large cheese ball) making them perfect for bringing with you or potlucks. (If potlucks even exist in our new reality haha.)
So easy yet so delicious and festive!
I hope you like this recipe, and you will give it a try soon. If you make it, let me know in this post or send me an Instagram message or share you photos adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.
Cheers to the season of shoveling! LOL
Mini Cheese Balls
Course: Appetizers, Snacks18-22
servings30
minutes60
minutesThese Mini Cheese Balls are a perfectly festive and delicious appetizer or snacking material. And importantly, they are so easy to make.
Ingredients
250 gr. sharp cheddar, grated (about 3 and 1/4 cups, shredded)
about 1 and 1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature
pinch of garlic powder (not salt)
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tbsp. fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
about 1/2 cup pistachios (salted or unsalted), dried cranberries, pine nuts, and pomegranate arils, each
Directions
- Finely chop the toppings you are using and set aside in separate bowls.
- In a large bowl combine the cream cheese and cheddar until well-mixed. Stir in the herbs and spices.
- The mixture will remain soft and sticky, so I would recommend chilling it for 30 minutes or so.
- Use a spoon to divide the mixture into about 18-22 tablespoon-size portions. Dip your clean hands in a little bit of water and smooth each portion into a small ball. Coat each ball into the toppings.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or as long as you want to in advance). Pro-tip: if you are planning to enjoy the cheeseballs longer than for two days, you can also leave them uncoated (Because some toppings might get a bit soggy on the next day.) In this case, keep the uncoated balls refrigerated, and when ready to serve, remove them from the fridge, let stay 10-15 minutes to soften, and coat.
- The cheese balls are better to enjoy within 3-4 days.
Notes
- You can definitely use only 1-2 ingredients for coating. Roughly, for this amount of cheese, you will need about 1 and 1/2 cups to 2 cups of the topping(s) TOTAL
Hi – I’m Ben, a blogger, recipe developer, and food photographer. I’m glad you’re here! I hope you will enjoy hundreds of delicious recipes and a pinch of havoc in the kitchen.
Oh no – that’s a lot of snow! Shoveling season is getting old, so we’re actually thinking of heading South. Stay tuned on that front! Switching over to these cheese balls, I love the idea of individual cheese balls – we do occasionally enjoy a cheese ball during the holidays, but I’ve never done the individual route. This is perfect for a holiday party…and they are so festive, too!
David @ Spiced recently posted…Peppermint Bark Popcorn
Thank you David!
I don’t think I’ve ever had a cheese ball. Did you have to clear your drive way or could you work from home?
Thanks Tandy!
I adore cheeseballs. These are so festive and yum with all the different coatings.
angiesrecipes recently posted…Orange Kalamata Olive Salad
Thank you!
Ben, these mini cheese balls are so pretty and festive! All your flavor ideas sound wonderful!
Thank you Kelly!