Orange Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Balls only take 15 minutes to make and are the perfect easy holiday appetizer. Made with cranberries, pecans, rosemary and fresh orange juice, these festive mini cheese balls are the hit of every party!
You can call these what you want.. mini cheese balls, mini cheese ball bites, goat cheese truffles .. either way, these Orange Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Balls are the best easy holiday appetizer you can serve up!
Are you ready for the holidays? That’s a big fat NOPE from this me .. however… if there is one thing I am 100% prepared for, it has to be the easy holiday appetizer portion of our program.
What?? Yup!! I can honestly say I have NOTHING else planned (yet) but when it comes to an easy delicious munchible treat to serve up this season, I am soooo ready to rumble.
These mini holiday goat cheese balls are my new favorite BFF and when it comes to little mini cheese balls, these are so easy to make and pack so much flavor and crunch, they are impossible not to love.
WHY THESE ARE THE BEST MINI CHEESE BALLS IN TOWN!
These Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Truffles win the easy holiday appetizer award by a mile.
- All you need to do is to whip together a few ingredients, roll them into a ball and then roll them through their toppings. That’s IT!!! BOOM!
- Completely portable which means there’s no stress about what you are going to serve them in and how you are going to travel with them.
- Embraces all the best flavors of the season and serves up holiday happiness in every bite.
- Tangy Orange. Sweet Cranberry. Crunchy Pecans… you’re welcome!
- These are done and ready to serve in under 15 minutes.. simply mix, roll and cover and you are done.
- You can ‘taste test’ as many as you want while you are making them and no one will ever really know how many there were supposed to be.
To make these Orange Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Balls, you will need:
- Goat cheese
- Cream cheese
- Honey
- Orange
- Dried cranberries
- Pecans
- Cinnamon
- Fresh parsley and / or rosemary
HOW TO MAKE ORANGE CRANBERRY PECAN GOAT CHEESE BALLS
To make these Orange Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Balls, start by lining a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Next, add goat cheese and cream cheese to a large mixing bowl and mix until light and creamy. Add in the cinnamon, honey, orange juice and zest and then combine until well incorporated.
Stir in 1/2 cup of chopped pecans and set aside. Using a small food processor or cutting by hand, chop up the parsley, rosemary, cranberries and pecans. Mix well to combine and then add to a large bowl.
Grab a spoon or a cookie scoop and scoop out a round ball of the goat cheese filling and lightly toss it in the cranberry topping mixture. Lightly roll it around until the entire mini cheese ball is coated in the cranberry herb topping.
Move the goat cheese ball to the parchment paper lined baking sheet and continue until all the truffles have been made. Move the cookie sheet to the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.
DO I NEED TO USE ROSEMARY?
Rosemary is one of those herbs that really strike a person strong in one direction or the other. Some people love it and others can’t stand it.
For this mini Goat Cheese Balls recipe, it really plays nicely against the orange and cranberry flavors but if you are not a fan, leave it out and just add more parsley to substitute the difference.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING PERFECT GOAT CHEESE BALLS
- Using a cookie scoop is such an easy way to make these Orange Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Balls. If you don’t already have one, they are very inexpensive and are a versatile time saver in the kitchen
- When grabbing up your goat cheese filling, make your mini cheese balls a bit smaller than you think you want them. The outside topping bulks the mini cheese ball truffles up quite a bit.
- Lay down parchment paper for quick clean up and a no stick barrier.
- Be sure you refrigerate these Orange Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Truffles for at least one hour before serving. The orange flavor needs time to come out.
- These are a great make ahead appetizer as they can be made a day in advance but just be sure to store them in an airtight container if you do.
MORE EASY APPETIZER RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE
Enjoy!
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Orange Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Balls
Ingredients
- 8 ounces goat cheese
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 1/2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 orange juice and zest
- 1/2 cup parsley small chopped
- 2 - 3 sprigs rosemary diced
- 6 ounces dried cranberries chopped
- 2 cups pecans small chopped
Instructions
- To make your Orange Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Balls start by lining a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Next, add goat cheese and cream cheese to a large mixing bowl and mix until light and creamy. Add in the cinnamon, honey, orange juice and zest and then combine until well incorporated. Stir in 1/2 cup of chopped pecans and set aside.
- Using a small food processor or cutting by hand, chop up the parsley, rosemary, cranberries and pecans. Mix well to combine and then add to a large bowl. Grab a spoon or a cookie scoop and scoop out a round ball of the goat cheese filling and lightly toss it in the cranberry topping mixture. Lightly roll it around until the entire mini cheese ball is coated in the cranberry herb topping.
- Move the Orange Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Balls to the parchment paper lined baking sheet and continue until all the truffles have been made. Move the cookie sheet to the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.
Notes
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING PERFECT GOAT CHEESE BALLS
- Using a cookie scoop is such an easy way to make these Orange Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Balls. If you don't already have one, they are very inexpensive and are a versatile time saver in the kitchen
- When grabbing up your goat cheese filling, make your mini cheese balls a bit smaller than you think you want them. The outside topping bulks the mini cheese ball truffles up quite a bit.
- Lay down parchment paper for quick clean up and a no stick barrier.
- Be sure you refrigerate these Orange Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Truffles for at least one hour before serving. The orange flavor needs time to come out.
- These are a great make ahead appetizer as they can be made a day in advance but just be sure to store them in an airtight container if you do.
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Update Notes: This post was originally published in November of 2018 but was republished with an updated recipe, new photos, step by step instructions and tips in October of 2019.
What other type of cheese can I use. Not a fan of goat cheese .
Sorry for the late reply Olga. You can substitute Cream cheese or Mascarpone cheese. Let me know what you used and what you thought please.
I can see why these are so popular! They have all the delicious flavors of the upcoming holiday season.
My family would love these! You have all the flavors of fall combined into this delicious appetizer.
These sound amazing! They would make a great addition to our holiday spread. Saving this recipe for later!
I love this savory and sweet appetizer! They’re perfect for holiday entertaining! Anything mini is so adorable… can’t wait to try them!
What a fun idea for an appetizer! I’m down for anything goat cheese 🙂 And I love how perfect they look for the fall!
They’re so colorful! What a great app to put out for holiday parties.
Savory truffles is something i never made before. I love how many creativity you put into this recipe, makes me want to try it.
Pour me a glass of wine and get me a plate of these! These truffles are the perfect way to start the holidays, all the flavors are perfectly in line with the season.
These look so good! And just perfect for holiday entertaining especially since they don’t need to be cooked
Now, these are simply perfect for a Thanksgiving party or any special event around the holidays! Love goat cheese anything and the orange and cranberry combo is hard to beat!
All of my favorite things in one easy appetizer! I can’t wait to make these truffles for Thanksgiving this year; they look delicious!
If I made this there is no way anyone else is going to get any. I love goat cheese and this is oh wow.. I must try this soon. So yum.
These look wonderful! This would be a great appetizer for family before our thanksgiving meal. I’ll be adding this to my list!