GOAT. Yes, as in goat cheese. But more importantly Greatest Of All Time. These little goat cheese balls have got it all. Creamy, spicy, savory, and sweet. They are a whole party happening in your mouth. The best part about this appetizer is that it’s easy to make but it makes a big impression. You did what? Whipped goat cheese with hot honey? That sounds like a lot of work. But it’s not. It’s a no bake, no fry, low-effort appetizer that yields amazing results. All you do is toss a few ingredients in a bowl and mixing together flavors like cinnamon, minced jalapenos, and hot honey with pecans, parsley, and dried cranberries. And before you stop and think that sounds horrible – I promise you it’s not. Do you like hot pepper jelly? It’s totally giving that. But also, it’s sweet like Christmas, with a little kick. It’s not spicy, it just has a little heat at the end which is so welcoming. And these little goat cheese balls are about to be the talk of the party! Serve them with water crackers, melba toast, or freshly baked crostini, I’m sure you’ll find guests gathered around the cheese table.
Ingredients for goat cheese balls:
Goat Cheese: You’ll need two small logs of goat cheese or about 10 ounces of goat chèvre in total. You can use goat cheese that already contains a flavor or one that’s plain. Make sure to soften the goat cheese to room temperature for a few minutes. You don’t need to leave it out too long though.Softened Cream Cheese: I use a combination of goat cheese and softened cream cheese for my goat cheese balls. I know not everyone loves the natural tang and flavor of goat cheese so mixing the two helps cut back on it a bit and allows the other flavors to stand out more than just the goat cheese.Hot Honey: I use hot honey to help flavor the goat cheese balls because it gives a baby kick to the bites. I use store-bought hot honey instead of homemade (which I normally prefer.) Store-bought hot honey is stabilized and not as runny so it makes the goat cheese mixture a bit easier to roll. You’ll need 2 tablespoons of the hot honey for the goat cheese mixture and extra to drizzle on the crackers! This is the one I used.Ground Cinnamon: Adds a festive holiday flavor that pairs so well with the minced jalapeno and the hot honey in the recipe.A Jalapeño: I use a teaspoon of minced jalapeños in the goat cheese mixture. The freshness of peppers gives them a unique flavor. But don’t worry, it’s just a teaspoon so in no way are these goat cheese ball appetizers actually super spicy.Pecans: You’ll need chopped-up toasted pecan bits for this recipe. We’ll make the goat cheese mixture; allow it to cool if it’s so thin to handle. And then we’ll use the pecans, dried cranberries and fresh parsley as a dipping or rolling crumb.Dried Cranberries: I like to chop up the dried parsley so that the crumbs adhere to the goatcheese balls in small pieces so they look bejeweled. Fresh Parsley: I love using fresh parsley for these goat cheese balls because I think it plays up really nicely with all the other flavors but you could certainly use a tablespoon of thyme, fresh rosemary, or a medley of herbs that you like as well.
How to make goat cheese balls:
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