These cheese ball bites are such a fun and unique appetizer recipe for a special event. When you want a cheese ball try these poppable bites or my classic cheese ball recipe. If you want some kick try my jalapeno cheddar cheese ball! I am a sucker for a good cheese ball, they’re on every appetizer table for a reason! These cute little cheese ball bites have the same great flavor as a regular sized cheese ball. However, they’re more elegant looking and you can roll them in a variety of toppings. Once you’ve tried these mini cheese balls, you won’t want to go back to the full sized ones! Serve your cheese balls along with bacon deviled eggs, grape jelly meatballs and pigs in a blanket. These classic appetizers make parties even more fabulous! Try them for Christmas or New Year’s Eve!
Cheese Ball Bites Ingredients
To make mini cheese balls, you will need cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, sharp white cheddar cheese, salt, black pepper, pecans, dried cranberries, chives and parsley.
How Do You Make Cheese Ball Bites?
Place the cream cheese and mascarpone cheese in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer or a spoon to combine the cheeses. Add the shredded cheese, salt and pepper and mix well. Roll the cheese mixture into bite sized balls. Coat each ball in either pecans, cranberries, or a blend of parsley and chives. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until you’re ready to eat.
Tips For The Perfect Appetizer
The traditional choice is to serve cheese balls with crackers or pretzels. You can serve these snacks on top of crackers, or simply serve them on a platter with some toothpicks so people can grab their favorite flavor. Another option is to stick a pretzel stick into each one for a fun presentation that allows people to easily pick them up. I like to serve my mini cheese ball bites almost as you would a cheese board with grapes, nuts, and other accompaniments that pair well with cheese. You could even serve toasted baguette slices on the side for a little different twist. These mini cheese balls can be made up to 8 hours before you plan to serve them. Simply follow the recipe, cover the cheese balls with plastic wrap, and let them chill in the fridge. Remove them from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before you plan to serve them. Make sure that you finely chop the toppings so that they easily adhere to the balls. For a sweet and savory flavor, try using candied pecans instead of regular pecans.
Flavor Variations
This recipe is great as-is, but there are so many different ways to customize the flavors to your tastes!
Cheese: You should plan to use cream cheese as the base to make sure you have the correct consistency, but you can swap out the mascarpone for goat cheese, or use all cream cheese. Instead of white cheddar, try using blue cheese, aged parmesan, gruyere, manchego or smoked gouda. Coatings: Roll your balls in cooked crumbled bacon, everything bagel seasoning, green onions walnuts, pistachios, dried apricots, pomegranate seeds, smoked paprika or almonds for extra flavor and texture.
This appetizer will be the first to go at your party, and everyone will be asking for seconds!
