Cranberry Pecan Mini Cheese Balls
Cranberry pecan mini cheese balls are an easy, crowd pleasing appetizer that you can make ahead of time with no actual cooking needed. Full of creamy cheese, sweet tart dried cranberries, crunchy pecans, and a little savory seasoning, they make a festive bite sized snack.
Servings: 14
Calories: 332kcal
Ingredients
- 2 8 oz pkgs cream cheese softened to room temp
- 2 cups pecans chopped and divided
- 2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 2 cups dried cranberries chopped and divided
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Line a large tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- To a large bowl add the cream cheese, 1 cup of pecans, 2 cups of white cheddar cheese, 1/3 cup of green onions, 1 cup of cranberries, garlic salt, onion powder and pepper. Beat on a low speed with a hand mixer until everything is well combined.2 8 oz pkgs cream cheese, 2 cups pecans, 2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese, 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions, 2 cups dried cranberries, 1 tsp garlic salt, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp pepper
- Scoop about 2-3 tbsp worth of the cheese mixture and roll into a ball, set it on the lined tray. You can make a bunch of tiny bite size balls or do the 2-3 tbsp worth of the mixture.
- Once the mixture is gone and all the balls are rolled out and placed on the tray, cover the tray with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- On a large plate add the remaining 1 cup of pecans, 1 cup of cranberries and the chopped parsley.1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- Take the refrigerated cheese balls and roll them around on the plate. Once they get everything stuck to them you can gently press the pecans and cranberries into the cheese so they don’t fall out, if needed.
- Serve with crackers, pretzels or veggies! You can even stick pretzel sticks in the tops of the cheese balls for easy pick up!
Notes
- You can make any size cheese balls you like. It's really fun to make them smaller and serve them with a pretzel stick in each one for easy grabbing. Alternatively, you can make one large cheese ball- if preferred.
- Let them soften for about ten minutes on the counter before serving so they are more spreadable.
- Want to make them all the same size for prettiest presentation? Use a cookie scoop to portion them out.
Nutrition
Calories: 332kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 376mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 750IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 162mg | Iron: 1mg