Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

Quick, simple and oh-so-decadent, this chocolate chip cheese ball is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser at your next party or office potluck. It’s made with cream cheese, butter, chocolate chips and a few other key ingredients, and the result is a dessert that’s simply made for smearing on graham crackers, vanilla wafers or even on top of a chocolate chip cookie. It keeps for a week too, so if you happen to be lucky enough to have leftovers, you can treat yourself throughout the week. Bonus: You can make it ahead of time, because this chocolate chip cheese ball actually freezes well too.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball Ingredients

• Cream cheese: You’ll want to bring the cream cheese to room temperature first for the best results.
• Butter: Unsalted butter is best for this recipe, so the salt won’t interfere with the other ingredients. On the other hand, if you prefer a little salty with your sweet, you might opt for salted butter instead. Either way, you’ll want to bring the butter to room temp as well.
• Vanilla extract: Grabbing a bottle of vanilla extract from the store may be easiest, but making your own ahead of time offers a whole new level of flavor.
• Confectioners’ sugar: This powdery sugar acts almost like a glue to the cheese and butter, not only holding the ingredients together but providing a nice texture too.
• Brown sugar: Brown sugar is sweet, sure, but its rich, caramel-like flavors add a depth to this cheese ball that confectioners’ sugar can’t provide on its own.
• Miniature semisweet chocolate chips: Mini chocolate chips are best here, as they mix in well with the cheese and butter.
• Pecans: Finely chop the pecans before rolling the cheese ball in them.
• Graham crackers: Opt for plain graham crackers to balance the sweetness, or choose your favorite flavored graham cracker.

Directions

Step 1: Make the dough

In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth, then beat in the confectioners’ sugar and brown sugar, just until blended. Add the chocolate chips and stir them in gently or mix on low. Refrigerate the dough, covered, until it becomes firm enough to shape, about two hours.

Step 2: Shape the cheese ball

Remove the dough from the fridge and shape the mixture into a ball. Wrap it and refrigerate it for at least one hour.

Step 3: Roll it in pecans

Just before you’re ready to serve the cheese ball, remove it from the fridge and roll it in finely chopped pecans. Serve it with graham crackers.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball Variations

• Add a drizzle: Nutella or a smooth ribbon of chocolate sauce would add a nice touch to this cheese ball.
• Mix in some coconut: Either large or small coconut flakes, mixed in with the chopped pecans, would taste divine.
• Make it cinnamony: A shower of cinnamon over the top of the cheese ball would add a rich flavor to this recipe.
• Switch up the nuts: In place of the pecans, well-chopped hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds or peanuts (or even a mix of a few!) would taste delightful.

How to Store Chocolate Chip Cheese Balls

The best way to store a cheese ball is to wrap it well in two layers—a layer of plastic wrap to keep the ball from sticking, and then a layer of aluminum foil to help the ball keep its shape (and prevent spoilage). Store it this way, in the fridge, for up to one week.

Can you freeze chocolate chip cheese balls?

Perhaps surprisingly, yes, you can freeze a chocolate chip cheese ball. However, be sure to leave the final crunchy nut coating off until you’re ready to serve it. To freeze it, wrap it in plastic wrap first, then put it inside a freezer-safe zip-top baggie. Freeze it this way for up to one month. To serve it, thaw it overnight in the fridge, remove the bag and plastic wrap, then roll it in nuts once it’s fully thawed.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball Tips

Why is my cheese ball coming out crumbly?

There are a few main culprits to look at when it comes to a crumbling cheese ball situation. First, be sure to bring all ingredients up to room temperature before mixing them. Keeping the cheese and butter on the counter for at least an hour results in a creamier consistency, which will allow the cheese ball ingredients to fully blend for better malleability.

How do I fix a too-runny cheese ball?

The opposite of a too-crumbly cheese ball is one that’s too runny. It won’t hold its shape, and it turns into a rather absurd mess when you’re trying to serve it. To remedy this, simply add more butter or cream cheese, a tablespoon at a time. Be sure to mix and integrate the additional butter or cream cheese well before adding more.

How long can a chocolate chip cheese ball sit out?

If you’re serving this at a party, you might be wondering just how long a cheese ball can sit out on the table. While this is a delicious app (or dessert!), it does have a shorter shelf life than other crowd-pleasing apps or party-appropriate desserts: You should not leave a cheese ball out of the fridge for more than two hours.