Mini Cheeseball Bites
These mini cheeseball bites with pretzel sticks are a great idea for holiday parties and other special occasions any time of year. Creamy, cheesy and flavorful, you will love all the possibilities for these little appetizers.
Servings: 30 cheeseballs
Calories: 114kcal
Ingredients
Cheeseballs
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened (two 8-ounce packages)
- 1 cup white sharp cheddar cheese freshly shredded
- 2 tablespoons salted sweet cream butter softened
- 1 tablespoon horseradish sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Toppings
- ½ cup green onion finely chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries chopped
- ½ cup almonds chopped sliced
- ½ cup pecans finely chopped
- 5 slices cooked bacon finely chopped
- 30 pretzel sticks
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer, or a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high, beat the cream cheese and butter for 1 minute.
- Add the cheddar cheese, horseradish sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Continue mixing on medium speed until well combined.
- Tightly cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set it aside.
- Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out the cheese mixture. Roll it into a ball and set it on the prepared baking sheet.
- Once all of the cheese mixture has been scooped and balled, roll the cheese balls in the different toppings until the cheeseballs are completely coated. Return the coated cheeseballs to the baking sheet.
- Just before serving, stick the pretzel sticks into the center of the cheeseball.
Video
Notes
- Do not use thick-sliced bacon for these mini cream cheese ball bites. Center cut works best because it is less fatty and not too thick to mix with the cream cheese. I like to pre-chop my raw bacon into thin slices before cooking it. I find it cooks a little faster and also yields more evenly sized bacon crumbles.
- Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature or you will end up with lumps in your cheeseball mixture.
- Don’t skip the chilling step as you need to have the mixture slightly firm to be able to roll it into a ball.
Nutrition
Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 282IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg