Cheeseball Bites – Cream cheese is mixed with spices and cheddar cheese, rolled into mini balls, and rolled in a coating of bacon, pecans, and chives to make for perfectly-sized cheeseballs
Tomorrow is a very special day…it’s the launch of my SECOND cookbook. It’s been a long time coming but it’s finally here. Entertaining Made Easy is a collection of tips and recipes perfect for hosting any kind of event. I am so excited for it to come out and hope you get a chance to get a copy of it for yourself.
As a little sneak peak, I am recreating a recipe here for you with some exclusive photos. It’s a recipe for my Cheeseball Bites and sure to get you excited about hosting some gatherings this coming Holiday season.
What are cheeseball bites?
Cheeseball bites are a smaller, bite-sized version of the cheeseball. If you’re like me, you may not have had or even heard of a cheeseball. I first learned about them while working at a grocery store and would see people buying them. I soon figured out that a cheeseball is a mixture of soft cheese, shredded cheese, spices, and toppings rolled into a ball. To serve them, you place on a platter with crackers or toast and guests slice off pieces from the ball and either enjoy alone or spread on the crackers.
For my bite-sized version, I decided to form the cheeseball into smaller balls and serve with a pretzel stick in the middle. Guests can eat right off the pretzel stick or they can spread onto a cracker. Regardless of how it’s eaten, there’s one thing that’s great about these bites – they’re super easy to serve, especially at large events.
How are these cheeseball bites made?
To make these cheeseball bites, there is very little effort involved. The process can be split into 3 parts:
- Mixing the cheese ingredients and spices
- Rolling the cheese into balls
- Rolling each ball in the toppings
Cream cheese mixture
For the cheeseball mixture, I use cream cheese as the base, with sharp cheddar, paprika, and garlic powder used to add texture and flavor.
Forming the balls
Once the cheese mixture is combined, I use a cookie scoop to form it into 18 little balls. I then roll each ball in my palms to make them perfectly round. They then get chilled to get the cream cheese firm again and make it easier to roll the balls in to the toppings.
Rolling the balls in toppings
After the cheeseballs have chilled, they are rolled in some crunchy and flavorful toppings that take the cheeseballs to the next level:
- Crispy bacon crumbles for salt and smokiness
- Crunchy pecans for texture
- Chopped chives for flavor
Tips & Tricks
- Make sure the cream cheese is softened to make it easier to mix with the shredded cheese and spices.
- When cooking the bacon, cook it on the crispy side to make it easier to chop into crumbles.
- If you are making these ahead of time, wait to roll the balls in the toppings until it’s time to serve. The bacon will get a little softer when it’s chilled so it’s best if the bacon topping is added just before serving.
Cheeseball Bites
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- ⅓ cup finely chopped pecans
- ¼ cup finely chopped chives
- 18 short pretzel sticks (NOT pretzel rods)
Instructions
- Place the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Use a wooden spoon to combine into one cohesive mixture.
- Using a small spoon or cookie scoop, forma tablespoon-size ball of the cheese mixture and place on a plate lined with plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining mixture until you have about 18 mini balls. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Mix together the bacon, chives, and pecans in a shallow dish. Roll the chilled cheeseballs in the mixture until completely coated. Insert a pretzel stick into the top of each cheeseball. Serve immediately
Notes
Pin for later:
More recipes you’ll love:
Pigs in a Blanket Ring
Bacon & Blue Cheese Deviled Eggs
Pimento Cheese with Bacon Jam
On my Thanksgiving menu! These look so good!
Love how easy these travel. I would use turkey bacon but the chive is a wonderful addition of flavor and color.
These cheeseball bites look like such a tasty and unique combination of flavors. What a perfect appetizer or party dish as well!
These Cheeseball Bites were perfect for our small get together the other day. Everyone loved them, and they flew off the table so fast I wished I had made more than one batch of these Cheeseball Bites! Saving this recipe to make again!!!
I love cheeseballs and these individual bites are delicious! Perfect appetizer for the holidays…I wouldn’t be able to stop from eating the whole tray :3
You’re a genius for making this popular appetizer bite sized. I love all of the flavors in these and can’t wait to make them for the holidays this year!
Such a great appetizer! Tasty little cream cheese treats with a delectable coating. Yum! Congrats on the second cookbook!
I am totally making these for the holidays–perfect for social distancing!
I will be adding these to my Holiday appetizer menu! My favorite part is the pretzels for the grabbing! Such a great idea!
I absolutely love bacon cheeseballs but the addition of the pecans sent them over the top! Thank you so much for sharing this appetizer.
This is the perfect treat for any holiday party. They are so delicious.
Congratulations on the launch of your second book. How exciting. And if this recipe for cheeseball bites is any indication of what to expect. It sounds tasty and amazing. These are perfect little bites for appetizers. Can’t wait to make them at home.
These mini cheeseballs look absolutely scrumptious. I would love to make them sometimes. I’m definitely pinning this recipe. Looks delish.
Such a fun and flavorful appetizer! Right on time for the holidays; thanks for sharing.
Congrats on your second cookbook! I’m sure it was a lot of work to put it together.
We will definitely add these cheeseball bites to our Thanksgiving table this year!
I love these little treats – perfect for parties! I don’t know why mini, individual snacks/treats are so much more fun!
You had me at cheese! What a fun idea for Thanksgiving can’t wait to try these out on my family
The salty, creamy, and nuttiness of these cheese balls make this a perfect appetizer. And thank you for clarifying which pretzels to use. I would’ve totally picked up the rods, LOL!
This is such a delicious idea for a holiday appetizer! I can’t wait to try these. Bookmarked!
Congratulations on your second cookbook! That’s pretty amazing news and it must be such a thrill to have your name in print. If the book is full of recipes like these cheeseball bites, I’m for sure picking up my copy soon.
These are addictively good! I used turkey bacon, and it was so delicious with the cheese and pretzel stick. It was fun to make them as a part of our dinner instead of the usual boring stuff… and ended up being a fun appetizer.