I have a theory that everything tastes better in mini form. Which is why I share so many “mini” versions of things. Though my friends will have you believe that I prefer small food because I have such small hands. “Baby Hands”, they call me. I regularly remind them that it’s not size that matters, it’s what you can do with them!!
“I like these mini cheese balls because there’s a higher ratio of coating to cheese than with giant cheese balls. Plus, everything tastes better in mini form!”
As New Years’ Eve approaches and the summer holidays continue, I’m regularly digging into my recipe stash for quick make ahead party food ideas. Cheese balls are a crowd pleaser, and they’re really versatile so you can always pull one together using things you’ve already got in stock. I usually make a giant one. But the thing is, it looks really impressive when you put it out but it gets destroyed really quickly as soon as people start digging into it!!
The other thing with giant cheese balls is that you need to have a decent amount of flavouring mixed through the cheese because the ratio of coating to cheese is quite low so you can’t rely on the coating to provide flavour.
So that’s how I came to try my hand at these mini versions. I love the kaleidoscope of colours you can get by using different coatings for the balls! The coatings I used are just what I had on hand – mixed fresh herbs, parmesan cheese, walnuts and cranberries. I’ve provided a fairly lengthy list of suggestions for other coatings in the recipe below. The possibilities are endless!
I’ve changed up the filling too. You can’t tell from the photos because the filling looks the same, but I made 3 different types – cream cheese, feta and goats cheese – so you could make these using the cheese that you prefer. The feta and goats cheese versions are slightly sharper than the cream cheese one.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Here’s to a great year filled with fun, laughter and LOTS of great food!
– Nagi
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Cheese Truffles (Mini Cheese Balls)
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling (makes 18)
- 8 oz / 250g cream cheese , softened
- 1 cup grated cheese (tasty, cheddar or any other cheese with flavour)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
- Salt to taste
Goats Cheese Filling (makes 18)
- 10 oz / 300g goats cheese
Feta Cheese Filling (makes 18)
- 10 oz / 300g Danish feta (Note 1)
- 1 cup grated cheese (tasty, cheddar or any other cheese with flavour)
- 1 tbsp sour cream (or approximately 2 tsp of milk or water)
Coatings - to coat 18 balls in total (Note 2)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs (I used parsley and dill)
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese , finely shredded or grated
- 1/3 cup walnuts , finely chopped
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries , finely chopped
Instructions
- Cream Cheese Filling - place ingredients in a bowl and mix well until combined. Adjust salt to taste.
- Feta Cheese Filling - place ingredients in a bowl and mix well until combined.
- Make the balls - measure out 1 tbsp of filling and use a teaspoon to scoop the filling out of the tablespoon and place onto a tray or cutting board. Once you have scooped out all the filling, use your hands to roll into balls. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.
- Place the Coatings into small bowls.
- Roll the cheese balls in the Coatings.
- Refrigerate the cheese balls until ready to serve.
- Take them out of the fridge around 15 minutes before serving (so they are spreadable).
- Serve with crackers or pieces of toasted bread.
Recipe Notes:
- Any other nuts and dried fruit
- Any fresh herbs
- Dried herbs (coat lightly as dried herbs are stronger in flavour than fresh)
- Paprika, sumac, dukkah and other spices
- Finely chopped cooked bacon
- Sesame seeds (black and/or white)
- Coconut and finely chopped apricots (this goes great with the cream cheese one) 4. Nutrition per truffle.
Nutrition Information:
Love all things mini, but having a tough time chopping the dried cranberries since they’re so sticky. Suggestions?