Happy National Cheese Ball Day! :)

If you need to gather a group and keep them together – this is exactly what you need…

These cheesy balls are a “go to” family snack that keeps everybody coming back for more. This snack is HUGE hit in our house and I find myself usually making them when I see too much leftover cheese in the refrigerator. In fact, “soft” cheeses “hard” (or “semi-hard”) ones are all interchangeable in this friendly recipe…

You will need:

[makes about 60 bite-size balls]

2½ cups Flour

1 tbsp. Baking Powder

1 (100+ gr.) stick of Butter

1 cup Cottage and ½ cup Ricotta [or any 1½ cups of “soft cheese” combo: Cream Cheese, Greek Yogurt, Sour Cream etc.]

1½ lb. combo of Feta, Gouda Cheese, Goat Cheese, Provolone Cheese [or any 1½ lb. of “hard or semi-hard cheese” combo]

2½ cups pitted Green Olives (about 60 Olives)

For Topping:

Egg Yolk
Sesame Seeds

Let’s get to work!

I’m used to making this cheesy dough by hand, but if you are not in the mood, you are more than welcome to get the food processor out and let it do all the work… Start with the flour and baking power and mix them together.

Cut the butter into very small cubes.

Work the small butter pieces into the flour to incorporate it equally.

Add the cottage cheese and ricotta and knead together – the dough starts to come together.

Now to the Gouda, Goat cheese and Feta…remember you can replace them with any other cheese you like.

Grate, crumble or finely chop the “hard” and “semi-hard” cheeses. I did it all; I had to grate the Gouda, crumble the goat cheese and cut the Feta… 🙂

Add the “hard” cheeses to the dough and knead until it all equally combined. Cover or wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest for an hour in the refrigerator. It is easier to form the balls while the dough is cold.

…Perfect time to take a little coffee break…

These cheese balls have an olive in the center.

To form the balls, take a little piece of dough and flatten it with your hands, place the olive in the middle and cover it by closing the dough on it. Roll between your hands into a perfect little ball.

These cheesy balls are a two-three bite episode and their size is about an inch in diameter.

Place all balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure there’s a little space in between them.

Brush each one with a little egg yolk on the top and sprinkle with sesame seeds. At this point for perfect baking results, cool the balls in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

Bake in a preheated oven set to convection baking at 400° for about 15-18 minutes. The cheese balls will become golden…

The Cheese Balls are READY!

mmmmm….these are so good I can’t stop 🙂

Serve warm.

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Quick Recipe:

Baked Cheese Balls-

Combine Flour and Baking Powder.

Add small pieces of Butter and work them into the Flour.

Add Cottage Cheese and Ricotta and knead into dough.

Grate, crumble or finely chop Gouda, Goat Cheese and Feta [or “hard/semi-hard” chesses of your choice]

Add “hard/semi-hard” cheeses to the dough and knead for equal spread.

Cover the dough and let it rest for an hour in the refrigerator.

Form small balls with an Olive in the middle.

Top with Egg Yolk and Sesame Seeds.

Cool the prepared dough balls in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.

Bake in a 400° preheated oven on convection setting for 15 minutes.

Serve warm.