Baked Goat Cheese Balls

5 from 7 votes

Seriously delicious Baked Goat Cheese Balls that are creamy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Top them with a drizzle of honey and enjoy!

Prep 20

Cook 10

Total 30

Fat 8

Carbs 6

Protein 5

Yield

Preheat the oven to 450ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Next, place the pecans in a food processor or coffee grinder and grind the pecans until they turn into a coarse flour. Make sure not to over-process or you could turn it into pecan butter!
Place the pecan flour, fresh thyme, bread crumbs, garlic powder, cayenne, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and mix. Set aside.
Whisk the egg in a small bowl until there is no sign of egg white. Set aside.
Finally, cut each of your goat cheese logs into 12 equal pieces. And then roll each piece of goat cheese between your hands to create a ball. You should get around 36 balls total.
Prepare the goat cheese bites by dipping each goat cheese ball into the egg wash. Let the excess egg drip from the ball and then, dredge the goat cheese ball in the panko mixture being sure it is completely covered. Place the goat cheese ball on the lined baking sheet. Repeat this until all of the goat cheese balls are dipped in egg and panko.
Spray the tops of the goat cheese balls with olive oil cooking spray and bake at 450ºF for around 10 minutes or until they begin to turn golden brown.
Remove the goat cheese balls from the oven and drizzle with optional honey before serving.

Use Cold Goat Cheese: the most important part about rolling your goat cheese into balls is that the goat cheese you use must be cold. If your goat cheese is at room temperature, it will not roll properly into balls.
Evenly Slice Goat Cheese Logs: The best way to get evenly sized is to slice your goat cheese logs evenly. Start by cutting your log in half and then in half again and then in half again. Because we were working with 4-oz logs, we got about 12 balls per log.
Dredge Quickly: When going form the egg wash to the panko, it is important to work quicky and as clean as possible so the panko doesn't clump. Instead of using your flipping the goat cheese balls with your fingers, you can simply toss panko on top of them and/or use a spoon so no clumps form.
Bake Until Golden Brown: Everyone's oven is different, but a good rule of thumb for this recipe is to start with 8 minutes and then to continue baking until your balls are golden brown and crispy.