Name: Christmas Mini Cheese Ball Bites
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 8 oz goat cheese; ½ cup chopped pecans; ½ TBSP unsalted butter; 2 TBSP brown sugar; pinch of salt; ¼ - ½ cup dried cranberries; ¼ tsp ground cinnamon; 1 TBSP fresh chopped parsley

By: Jill Mills Posted: Dec 17, 2020 Updated: Aug 5, 2023

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Cheese Ball Bites make a terrific Holiday appetizer. Mini cheese balls make a tasty party treat that’s ready to go in 15 minutes.

Everyone knows that cheese balls are always an appetizer favorite. At my house it’s the first thing people gravitate to. These mini cheese balls are great because everyone isn’t dipping into the same ball. Everyone just gets their own!

Holiday Mini Cheese Balls on a square platter.

Christmas Mini Cheese Ball Bites

Full of pecans, cinnamon and dried cranberries, this recipe has a bit of delicious sweetness.

Ingredients You Need:

Goat Cheese
Chopped Pecans
Butter
Brown Sugar
Salt
Dried Cranberries
Cinnamon
Chopped Parsley

Close up of a Christmas mini cheese ball on a wooden platter next to a cheese knife.

How To Make Christmas Mini Cheese Balls

Cut the goat cheese to make small discs and set them aside.
Make the candies pecans.
Mix chopped cranberries, parsley and pecans to a small bowl.
Press goat cheese slices into the mixture and form into a ball.
Repeat for each disc of cheese.

Holiday Mini Cheese Ball Bites on a square platter.

What To Serve Cheese Balls With

The usual assortment of crackers works perfect with these. Ritz crackers, different flavored Triscuits and Club crackers are my top three favorites. I also like to put stick pretzels in them as a little “handle” to grab them by.

A stack of Ritz crackers topped with a mini cheese ball.

Other Variations

Mix 8 ounces of cream cheese with 3/4 cups of white cheddar. Add in 1- 1 1/2 Tablespoons of dry italian or ranch mix.

Here are so add-in options for the mixture and for rolling…

Pistachios
Pomegranates
Flax Seeds
Any Dried Fruit
Bacon Bits
Any Nuts

The fruit works well with goat cheese and the bacon goes well with the cream cheese/ranch mixture. Just experiment with whatever you prefer.

Add pretzel sticks in the top for easy serving.

Mini Cheese Balls on a wooden platter decorated with festive toppings.

More Recipes To Try Next

5 from 4 votes

Christmas Mini Cheese Ball Bites

These Christmas goat cheese balls are an easy appetizer for the holidays, rolled in bits of cranberries and pecans! Mini cheese balls are the perfect tasty party snack that's ready to go in 15 minutes.

Servings: 10 servings

Prep: 15

Total: 15

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Ingredients

Instructions

Directions

Remove the cheese from its wrapper and cut into 8-10 discs. Set aside.
Heat a small pan to medium heat and melt your butter.
Once the butter starts to bubble, add the pecans, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt.
Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often and pour over a large sheet of parchment paper in a thin layer.
Allow to cool until the candy coating hardens.
Fold the parchment paper in half, trapping the nuts and crush with a meat tenderizer.
Chop the rest with a knife until minced.
Finely chop the cranberries and add to the pecans.
Combine pecans, cranberries, and parsley on a plate or cutting board.
Take a goat cheese and press into the pecan coating on each side, then roll into a ball.
Coat again as needed by rolling the completed ball in the mixture once more.
Repeat for each disc of cheese.

Last Step:

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Nutrition

Christmas Mini Cheese Ball Bites