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Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Bites

Nicole
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Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Bites are a fun appetizer to serve for the holidays and any gathering. You’ll be amazed at how quickly they disappear.

This recipe is part of a wonderful round up of Thanksgiving and Potluck style recipes that will make your holiday entertaining a breeze. Scroll to the bottom for all the great recipes! #blogfriendsgiving

Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Bites are the perfect appetizer to enjoy at holiday dinners and fun social gatherings. They are bite sized so they will be easy for people to enjoy. Be sure to grab some to enjoy early on, because they are sure to disappear!

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The fall is crazy town in my house. We have great group of friends that we do so many parties and events with that just so happen to be in the fall. It kicks off with a great Halloween party and does right on through to New Years. It’s busy, crazy, and so much fun!

For a lot of those gatherings, we typically all bring some sort of party foods. In the past, I have brought my Jalapeno Jelly Glazed Slow Cooker Meatballs because they are so easy to make, transport, and everyone loves them. But they might have a run for their money with these bite sized cheese balls.

Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Bites

Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Bites are just like what the sound like… bite sized cheese balls that are made with bacon and flavored with ranch. They are so cheesy from the cream cheese and shredded cheddar. The balls are coated with a mixture of bacon, nuts, and chives.

I used pistachios just because that is what I had on hand. But they are also really good with walnuts and pecans. No matter what nut you use, you just want to make sure that you very finely chop them. Chop them, consider that you are done, then chop some more. You really want a fine nut and bacon mixture because the balls are small. It wouldn’t be too pretty to have big chunks of nut and bacon on the cheese balls.

If you have a food processor, you can Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Bites make these in practically no time. Pulse the nuts until hey are fine. Then add in the bacon. Transfer that mixture to a bowl, then give the bowl of the food processors a quick wipe down. At that time, add the cream cheese and cheddar. Mix well, then add the chopped chives to that, then pulse again to finish that off. This keeps clean up to just the food processor and makes it all quick work.

Another tip that I have is that you use kitchen shears for chopping the chives. It makes really quick work of cutting them up into very fine pieces. (I think kitchen shears are an absolute must in the kitchen!)

The Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Bites are so great because they taste so good, but besides that, they are easy to make and can be made in advance. You can make them up to 2 days in advance. Just put the pretzels in the cheese balls about 15 minutes prior to serving, so they don’t get soggy.

Be sure to make these Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Bites for your next party. And, if you are invited, bringing these will make you the hit of the night!

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What is needed for Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Bites?

You’ll love that you just need bacon, cream cheese, Ranch seasoning, pecans, shredded cheddar cheese, and chives for the cheese balls. Then you serve them with pretzel sticks!

How long will they last?

It’s great that they can last several days. So you can easily make these in advance, as you prep for your party. Store them in a single layer in an air tight container, or a plate that is wrapped really well with plastic wrap. Prior to serving them.

Is this gluten free?

Sure, this can be! Use gluten free pretzel sticks. And, make sure that bacon doesn’t have any gluten in it (typically they don’t, but it’s always important to double check!)

Can I just make this into 1 big cheese ball?

You absolutely can! Instead of rolling the mixture into bite-sized balls, just roll it into 1 big ball, and then coat that. I would then serve it with miniature pretzels, pitas, or crackers, instead of the pretzel sticks.

Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Bites

Yield: 24

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces bacon
  • 12 ounce cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 8 ounces finely shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 Tablespoon Ranch seasoning
  • 1/2 Cup pecans/walnuts/pistachios
  • 2 Tablespoons finely chopped chives (approx .05 ounce)
  • pretzel sticks

Instructions

  1. Cook the bacon until crisp. Let cool on paper towel lined plate. Crumble/chop.
  2. While the bacon is cooking, combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, ranch seasoning, and half the chives. Roll cream cheese mixture into 24 evenly sized cheese balls.
  3. While the balls chill, finely chop the nuts into consistent tiny pieces. Combine with the crumbled bacon and half the chives in a bowl, set aside.
  4. Roll the balls into the nut mixture.
  5. Skewer with the pretzel sticks 15 minutes prior to serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 154Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 315mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 7g

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Cuisine: American / Category: Starters

Please be sure to check out all these other great recipes that are wonderful for the holiday dinners and parties!

Appetizers

Salads

Main Dishes

Side Dishes

Drinks

Breads

Desserts

Crafts and Centerpieces

 

 

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