Baked Goat Cheese Balls
These baked goat cheese balls are creamy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and seriously delicious. Top them with a drizzle of honey and enjoy!
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 12 oz. cold goat cheese I use 3 4-oz. logs.
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- â…“ cup pecans processed into flour
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- â…› teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
Optional Topping
- 1-2 tablespoons honey
Optional Spicy Dip
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ½ tablespoon sriracha or more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the pecans in a food processor or a coffee grinder and grind until they form 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.
- Cut each of your goat cheese logs into 12 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece of goat cheese between your hands to create a ball. You should get around 36 balls total.
- Dip each goat cheese ball into the egg wash. Let the excess egg drip from the ball and dredge the goat cheese ball in the panko mixture, covering it completely.
- 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.
Notes
The most important part about rolling your goat cheese into balls is that the goat cheese you use must be cold. They won’t roll properly at room temperature.
Everyone’s oven is different, but a good rule of thumb for this recipe is to start with 8 minutes and then continue baking until the balls are golden brown and crispy.
Goat cheese is a great source of calcium and vitamin A, with trace amounts of potassium. While it does contain some cholesterol and saturated fat, adding pecans contributes healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.Â
Panko isn’t gluten-free, but there are brands that sell wheat-free breadcrumb alternatives.
Nutrition
Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g