Cheese balls are an easy, quick, and super tasty no-cook Christmas appetizer. I’ve already shared many Christmas and New Year’s appetizer recipes with you, but I’m not done yet; this is definitely one of the quickest you can prepare. I had some leftover ingredients from when I made the cheese trees and used them to make these really delicious savory truffles. Besides being delicious and super clever, these cheese balls (like the cheese trees) are ready in 5 minutes, you don’t have to cook anything, they are made with 4 ingredients and are also perfect for an aperitif, maybe accompanied by a delicious Christmas spritz. Make plenty because they will go fast!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 8 Pieces
- Cooking methods: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons, Christmas
Ingredients
- 5.5 oz fresh goat cheese
- 1.8 oz dried cranberries
- 0.7 oz unsalted pistachios
- 4 salted sticks (like pretzels)
Steps
Cheese balls are very simple and quick to prepare; first, cut the goat cheese into pieces slightly smaller than a walnut and form balls. To prevent sticking, grease your hands with a little extra virgin olive oil.
Roll some of the balls in chopped pistachios and others in chopped dried cranberries.
After covering all the cheese balls, skewer them with a piece of salted stick, like a pretzel. They are ready to serve!
Tips:
Cheese balls can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also prepare them in advance, a day or even two days before, but I recommend adding the salted stick when serving; otherwise, it will soften too much. You can use other nuts, dried tomatoes, herbs, seeds, or spices for the coating. You can replace the goat cheese with a semi-soft cheese like robiola or spicy gorgonzola; it should be easy to shape, so not too hard but also not soft or creamy.
More Christmas appetizer recipes HERE
