Easy Spicy Sausage Balls

Two ingredients, one irresistible bite. These sausage balls lean on the sweet-and-spicy combo that makes them so addictive: spicy sausage rolled into bite-size balls and baked, then glazed with apple butter and warmed again so the sweet, spiced glaze caramelizes against the savory, peppery meat.

Draining the sausage well after the first bake is the step you don’t want to skip. Spicy sausage renders a lot of fat, and pouring it off keeps the glaze from sliding into a greasy puddle and lets the apple butter actually cling.

That second trip to the oven is what marries the two. The apple butter, thick with cinnamon and apple, melts into a sticky coat that turns these into the kind of appetizer people hover over. They come together fast enough for a last-minute gathering and tend to vanish before the other snacks get touched.

Kitchen Tips

• Drain the sausage thoroughly after the first bake so the apple butter glaze clings instead of slipping off.
• Roll the balls the same size so they cook evenly and finish together.
• Make sure they’re cooked through before glazing; the second bake is just to warm and set the apple butter.
• Serve warm with toothpicks; the glaze gets sticky and the sausage firms up as it cools.

Variations

• Swap the apple butter for a brown sugar BBQ sauce, pepper jelly, or apricot preserves.
• Use mild sausage with a pinch of cayenne if you want to control the heat.
• Add a pinch of cinnamon or smoked paprika to play up the sweet-savory contrast.