Sweet Cheese Ball for Breakfast Spreads
Sweet cheese ball filled with chocolate chips and rolled in chopped pecans makes an excellent bagel spread or waffle topping for a brunch table.
Attend any party in the midwest and you're likely to spot a prepared cheese ball on the appetizer table.
This playful variation uses mini chocolate chips and pecans to make a sweet cheese ball that is perfect for adding to a brunch menu with your favorite baked goods.
This would be such an easy breakfast for feeding a crowd if you added big platters of bagels, waffles, and even pancakes for those times when syrup would be too messy to serve.
Why This is the Best Recipe
I love having an elegant and easy breakfast idea for when we're hosting family for the holidays. I think this is the best sweet cheese ball recipe because:
- Easy to Make Ahead: You can prep the cheese ball in advance and just pull it out at breakfast time or add it to a dessert table with wafer cookies or graham crackers.
- Sweet and Salty: Use salted pecans for the nut coating and you have a delicious savory but sweet spread that works in so many ways.
- Creamy and Crunchy: All the best textures are happening here. Add them to a chewy pancake or waffle? HEAVEN.
Ingredients
This simple sweet cheese ball only needs a few ingredients:
- Cream Cheese: I recommend using a full-fat cream cheese or the cheeseball may be too soft to hold its shape.
- Butter: I used salted butter.
- Powdered Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Vanilla
- Mini Chocolate Chips: You could use regular sized chocolate chips but the mini chocolate chips make the cheese ball easier to spread over a bagel.
- Pecans
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How to Make the Cheese Ball
Add the softened cream cheese and softened butter to a large mixing bowl and beat them together with an electric mixer on medium-high spead.
Add the vanilla and beat it in until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar and beat it in until well combined. Then continue to beat the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.
Add the mini chocolate chips and fold them into the cream cheese mixture.
Pat the cream cheese into a rough ball shape and chill in the fridge for one hour.
Use your hands to pat the chilled cream cheese into a smoother ball shape. It doesn't have to be perfect, you don't want to warm it up with your hands. Just work quickly.
Pour the chopped pecans into a large dish. Place the cheese ball on top and use a spoon to sprinkle pecans all over the surface of the ball.
Chill the Cheese Ball
Transfer the pecan-coated cheese ball to a pretty serving platter and chill again for one hour before serving.
Make Ahead Tips
A festive pecan cheese ball is an excellent make ahead recipe for a festive brunch.
You can assemble the sweet cheese ball up to 2 days in advance as long as you cover it in plastic wrap to keep it fresh.
If you're making it just for your family to enjoy during a regular week, you can make the chocolate chip cheese ball and store it in an airtight container for up to a week.
Serving Suggestions
I served the chocolate chip cheese ball on a larger platter so that I could surround it with fresh strawberries and blueberries for our breakfast table.
Fresh fruit tastes fantastic with the cream cheese, too.
You could serve this for a baby or wedding shower, a special family brunch, or even during the holiday season as part of an elegant breakfast buffet.
The cheese ball also travels well so it's a great item to bring to a breakfast potluck party with a container of bagels.
This easy recipe would just as well as part of a dessert table if you prefer to pair it with crispy wafer cookies or graham crackers.
Breakfast Recipes to Pair with the Cheese Ball
Those salty pecans, sweet chocolate chips, and tangy cream cheese filling taste so amazing spread over a breakfast goodie like bagels, waffles, or even pancakes.
Here are a few of my favorite pairings:
- Store Bought or Bakery Bagels: Dress up packaged bagels or bakery bagels with this elegant cream cheese spread.
- Frozen or Homemade Waffles: Skip the syrup and offer the cream cheese spread on top of buttermilk waffles or as an accent to chocolate waffles. You could skip the cream cheese drizzle on my red velvet waffles and serve this spread instead.
- Frozen or Homemade Pancakes: Skip the syrup and use this sweet cream cheese spread on top of buttermilk pancakes.
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 1 (8 oz) brick of cream cheese softened
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1 cup pecans finely chopped
Instructions
- Add the softened cream cheese and butter to a large mixing bowl and beat them together with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
- Add the vanilla and beat it in.
- Add the powdered sugar and brown sugar and beat them in. Continue to blend for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and chill the mixture in the fridge for one hour.
- Roll the cream cheese spread into a ball shape and then roll in the chopped pecans. Place the ball on a pretty serving plate and then chill for one more hour before serving. The prepared cheese ball can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days if you wrap it in plastic wrap to keep it fresh.
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