Cheese Balls

Southern-style baked cheese balls, the appetizer of choice at every church potluck and college football tailgate from Atlanta to Nashville. Sharp cheddar gets mixed with butter, flour, and crisp rice cereal, then rolled into dime-sized balls and baked until golden and shattering-crisp on the outside, soft and cheesy in the center.

The cereal is the secret. It softens into the mix during baking and disappears as a visible ingredient, but it leaves behind a delicate crunch you don’t get from a flour-only dough. The cayenne and hot sauce add just enough warmth to make people want a second one before the first is gone.

Use the sharpest, most aged cheddar you can find. Mild cheddar gives bland balls that taste mostly of butter. Three-year-aged white cheddar or extra-sharp orange both work beautifully here.

Kitchen Tips

• Roll the balls truly small. Dime-sized bake evenly and cook through in 8 to 10 minutes
• Watch the bottoms. They go from golden to scorched faster than the tops do
• Make ahead and freeze raw. Bake straight from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes
• Serve at room temperature. Hot from the oven they’re fragile and crumbly

Variations

• Mix in 2 tablespoons of finely chopped pecans for a nutty Southern twist
• Use pepper jack or aged Gruyère instead of cheddar for different flavor profiles
• Stir in a tablespoon of finely diced pimento for a pimento-cheese version