These cheese balls are loaded with green herbs for a fresh taste!
I really wanted to name this recipe “mini cheese burgers” because these little cheese balls seem a lot like tiny burgers, especially when placed between two round crackers. But I felt that the title would be misleading or weird at the best. And I didn’t want to add another weird title like “Grandma’s apple crumble pie cake” or “the faux mille feuille”.
I mean, come on…. Anyone reading these titles will think: What is this? Is it an apple crumble, a pie, or a cake??? Hasn’t he decided yet? And that fake mille feuille… Why is it a fake? And if it’s a fake, should it be called mille feuille?
Well, the apple crumble pie cake is a little bit of everything – and you should definitely try it since it’s super delicious and one of the easiest recipes out there, one bowl and no mixer needed – and the faux mille feuille is an amazing dessert, resembling to a French mille feuille but with some butter cookies instead of puff pastry sheets – which actually give it more of a “homey” taste.
BUT, today we’re talking about cheese balls and not other posts, so I’ll try to stay focused! I know that most cheese ball recipes include some sharp shredded cheddar and cream cheese. My recipe is a little bit different with a mediterranean twist, since instead of cheddar I use a lot of feta cheese. This makes the cheese balls fresher and lighter in taste. The addition of green herbs makes them incredibly aromatic, addictive and gives them a healthier note!
These mini cheese balls can be a lot of fun! Decorate them with a slice of a cherry tomato and an olive and pretend they’re little heads with hats (Please tell me you can see it also!).
Or you can put them between two crackers and make your own little spaceships! They do seem like spaceships, don’t they? Now it’s time to revenge all those who told you not to play with your food 🙂
This recipe gives you a lot of opportunities to improvise.
If you don’t want to take the time and make mini cheese balls, you can certainly make two big ones or a really large one.
You can use herbs of your preference. I chose a mix of parsley, chervil, dill, and green onions, but you could omit something if you don’t like it and add something else, or make your own combinations! Fresh oregano, marjoram, chives, tarragon, thyme come to my mind… Now that I think of it, some lemon zest wouldn’t be bad also!
You can use your favorite things to coat them with! You like nuts? Roasted crashed almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, or pecans are perfect! Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or flaxseeds are also great. I used poppy seeds and a mix of sesame and black sesame seeds. Some of them were also coated in a mix of the green herbs. Another option is a coating of black, green, red and white pepper corns. The sky’s the limit!
Note:
These guys are best served with some crackers (DUH…) and some fresh vegetables!
- 2 cups (about 250 grams) crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup (110 grams) cream cheese
- ½ cup chopped fresh herbs (equal parts of parsley, dill, chervil, green onions)
- Freshly grated black pepper, to taste
- For coating
- 3 tablespoons whole sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
- 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
- ¼ cup of fresh, chopped herbs
- crackers for serving
- In a bowl, mix well with a fork the feta cheese and cream cheese.
- Add the fresh herbs and pepper and mix to combine.
- Taste and add more pepper and herbs if you want to.
- Put the sesame, poppy seeds and chopped herbs in three different plates.
- With a spoon, scoop out some cheese mixture and form little balls. If mixture gets too soft, refrigerate until firm. Their size should be a little smaller than your crackers. Mine were the size of a ping pong ball.
- Place the balls in the plates with the coating and coat them well.
- Transfer on the crackers just before serving, or serve them with the crackers on the side.
- Eat.
Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
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