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These Rosemary Pecan Goat Cheese Truffles make an easy, make-ahead appetizer, perfect for topping a cracker, crostini or wedge of warm pita. Everyone goes crazy over these goat cheese truffles!
Recently, I helped co-host a baby shower for a sweet friend. There were lots of delicious "small bites", but it seemed that these fun, little Rosemary Pecan Goat Cheese Truffles were the "belles of the ball" that day. Well... not really; the mom-to-be and baby-on-the-way were the true stars at the festive event, but everyone did seem to love these delicious miniature cheeseballs.
Easy to put together
The combination of sweet and spicy pecans, fresh rosemary, bits of dried fruit (I used golden raisins, dried cranberries and currants, but other blends would also work) and goat cheese is quite heavenly.
Lots of options
The pretty little balls of deliciousness are perfect for topping a cracker, crostini or wedge of warm pita, but these Rosemary Pecan Goat Cheese Truffles are also great served all on their own, for a low carb appetizer.
I love that these little nibbles can be made earlier in the day, which means less stress at the last minute. I'm all for that! Oh, and they're not only wonderful for entertaining, but they'd be perfect for picnics and potlucks, eliciting lots of oooohs and aaaahs!
How do you make these Rosemary Pecan Goat Cheese Truffles? It's fun! First, toast a handful of chopped pecans with a bit of olive oil, honey and a tiny splash of Sriracha for a touch of heat. Once they're cooled, combine them with finely chopped fresh parsley (for color), rosemary and any combination of chopped, dried fruit. That's your coating mixture. All that's left is to scoop and roll chilled goat cheese (I use a small cookie scoop), then roll the small balls in the pecan mixture. If you're making them in advance, just place the "truffles" on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate till about 30 minutes prior to serving.
Are you planning a brunch, lunch or dinner party? Got a picnic or potluck coming up? How about that next get together at work? Pin this Rosemary Pecan Goat Cheese Truffles recipe, pick up the ingredients next time you're at the market and have a blast scooping and rolling! They just might be "the belles of the ball", well at least in a culinary sense!
- 6 ounces plain goat cheese softened for an hour at room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened for an hour at room temperature
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon Sriracha
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons currants*
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries*
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins*
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
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Combine softened goat cheese and cream cheese in a medium size bowl. Whisk together until smooth and creamy, then refrigerate for at least one hour or place mixture in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
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While cheese is chilling, preheat oven to 325˚F. Line a small sheet pan with parchment paper.
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Combine pecans, oil, honey and Sriracha on the prepared pan. Bake for 3 minutes then remove pan from oven and stir well. Return to oven and bake another 3-5 minutes or until pecans are golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with kosher salt. Toss and set aside to cool.
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Combine cooled pecans, dried fruit, chopped rosemary and chopped parsley on a dinner plate. Set aside.
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Scoop up 1 tablespoon size portions of the chilled cheese mixture** and roll into balls (the balls will be a bit sticky, but chilling helps make it less sticky). Drop the ball onto the plate with the pecan coating and gently roll the cheese ball around in the mixture, patting it into the cheese, until it is fully coated. At this point you can reshape your balls into nicer circles, if they have become misshapen. Place on a clean dinner plate and place in the refrigerator until 30 minutes prior to serving. Serve with crackers, crostini or pita wedges or on their own for a low carb appetizer.
Adapted from Amy in the Kitchen
Makes about 24 truffles
* Use any combination of dried fruit that you like or all the same kind. Dried cherries are wonderful too!
** I use this cookie scoop for making the truffles. It makes the job really easy and the truffles all uniform size.
Deb says
How far in advance do you think I could make these? I have many helpers on Thursday to assemble the snacks/charcuterie trays for my daughter’s wedding on a Saturday. Do you think we could make these, place on trays with saran wrap over them, store in fridge 2 days, then place out on table during cocktail hour-along with crackers in a basket, and other things? I appreciate any help/suggestions!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Deb, I think that would work. The pecans may not be quite as crisp as when you roll them shortly before serving but they will still be delicious!
Joni says
These look delicious and I would love to try them, however, I am allergic to nuts! I was wondering if these could be made without the nuts, and if so, do you have any substitution suggestions?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Joni, you could just skip the nuts. They will still be delicious!
Connie says
Could the truffles be made with a cheese other than goat cheese? Would feta work?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Connie, Feta is a little too dry for this recipe but you could use cream cheese and add some Feta to that for flavor.
Suzanne says
Not only do these look phenomenal, but they are incredibly delicious! Another winner! A quick question: how do you think this would work as a log? Thanks.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Suzanne, I think that's a great idea and should work well!
chrissy says
hi! i’m planning on making these this Thanksgiving and can’t wait!! just wondering why the prep time is listed as 9 hrs? it looks like things only have to cool for about 1 hr max... i want to make sure i’m not missing some big step. thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Chrissy, you are correct, it doesn't take 9 hours! A while back, I switched recipe plugins and it messed up all my times. I've been slowly correcting them but with over 1200 recipes, it's taking a while. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Linda McBride says
I made these yesterday. They were easy to make and looked very festive. They are delicious and just enough of a bite that you can 'pop' one into your mouth sans cracker!
I think that the next time I make them, I will put more
Sriracha sauce in them. I served them with jalapeno raspberry jam which was a delicious combination.
Chris Scheuer says
Yum! Sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing your results, Linda!
Brenda Travis says
I just found this recipe so I haven't made this yet. I am wondering how hot/spicy these turn out to be. I have guest coming who don't mind things a little spicy but won't eat anything that burns the taste buds or make want you to grab a drink.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Brenda, these are not hot at all. Very tasty but not spicy hot - ENJOY!
Sue MacInnes says
Made these for the first time today for my Cuisine groups luncheon tomorrow & am worried that I may not have enough to bring if my husband and I keep sampling them!!
These little bites of heaven are extraordinary and this recipe will definitely be one I make over and aver again.
Chris Scheuer says
Haha, Sue! I know what you mean. I'm so happy you've already enjoyed them and hope the group does too!
Trisha Brigham says
Delicious and simple to prepare!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing your results, Trisha. I'm so happy you enjoyed them!
Tania says
I made this recipe and it was delicious!
My feedback for others making the recipe:
- I would cut up the raisins into small pieces
- I used 1 tbsp per ball and didn't get as many as expected, I would make the balls smaller next time
- I ended up with a lot of extra toppings (again, maybe because I made the balls too big - but I used the tbsp to measure so not sure what went wrong there)
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Tania, for sharing your results! It really helps other readers!
Jennifer says
Is is possible to use this as a spread or combine in a large cheeseball-like option?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jennifer, yes you could definitely do either!
Jackie says
I too was thinking of combining this into one large cheese ball type spread. How did yours turn out? It looks wonderful.
Laura says
I made these delicious cheese balls for a mixed generation book club I hosted yesterday. They were absolutely fabulous and received rave reviews and requests for the recipe. I doubled the recipe (to make 4 dozen) and also used apricots in place of currants (as another reader suggested). My grocery store offer a "fig goat cheese," so in doubling the recipe, I used one regular goat cheese and one fig. I wanted to make them a day in advance but worried the nuts would get soggy. I tried it anyway, and the nuts were perfect. They were just as crunchy and crispy as they were cooled out of the oven. In fact, with all the flavors melding together overnight, I think the balls were even better made a day in advance. Thank you Chris!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for sharing your results, Laura! I love your version and am so happy you and your friends enjoyed them. Now you've got me wanting to make them again!
Laura Campbell says
A guest at Thanksgiving made these and they were a big hit! I will make them next for a wine tasting outing in December. Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Wonderful! They are great with wine 🙂
val Kilbane says
Hi, Stumbled across this gorgeous recipe idea. Can they be made in advance and kept in the fridge? Planning on using this recipe for my party this weekend!
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, you dould definitely make them ahead!
vivian says
I have made these twice now, a rarity for me since my Pinterest boards are always full of "to make" recipes, but they are delicious, simple to make and look beautiful, so I couldn't resist. I used dried raisins, cranberries and apricots, chopped up fine and doubled the recipe both times. Thanks for a keeper!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for sharing your results, Vivian! I love your version!
Teresa Davis says
Just made a double batch for a party this evening. Good thing I doubled as my husband and I had to sample several of them. Absolutely delicious and pretty.
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! I love it! Someone has to do the hard stuff!
Thanks for taking the time to let us know! Enjoy and have fun at the party!