The perfect little Springtime appetizer or salad topper! Creamy goat cheese in a crispy-savory shell goes beautifully alongside a sweet and spicy honey sauce!
Baked Walnut and Zaatar Crusted Goat Cheese Balls
The perfect little Springtime appetizer or salad topper! Creamy goat cheese in a crispy-savory shell goes beautifully alongside a sweet and spicy honey sauce!
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet that will fit inside your freezer
- parchment paper
- 1 food processor or rolling pin
- 1 wide shallow bowl for dredging
- 1 medium bowl for egg
- 1 small bowl for hot honey
Ingredients
Goat Cheese Balls
- 8 oz fresh chèvre or goat cheese
- ½ cup panko
- ⅛ cup walnuts
- 1 tbsp zaatar
- kosher salt a good pinch
- 1 egg
Hot Honey
- ½ tsp Aleppo pepper may sub 3>1 ratio of sweet Hungarian Paprika to cayenne
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
Instructions
Goat Cheese Balls
- Line a baking sheet or plate that will fit in your freezer with parchment paper.
- Portion the goat cheese and roll into 8-10 balls. Place on the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Place the walnuts in a food processor and pulse until they’re finely ground. Alternatively could also place walnuts in a ziplock back and use a wine bottle or heavy rolling pin.
- Transfer the ground walnuts to a shallow bowl with the the panko, za’atar, and salt. Toss to combine.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, beat the egg.
- Roll ball in the egg (shaking off loose egg), then dredge in the walnut/panko mix, and return to the parchment paper lined sheet. Repeat with the remaining goat cheese balls.
- Place the balls in the balls in the freezer for 30 minutes to harden. When there's 5 minutes left of freezer time, set the a rack to the middle position, and pre-heat the oven to 470°F.
- Place the balls in the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes (depending on your oven), until coating is crispy and golden brown. Keep a close eye on them while they cook to ensure some aren't getting burnt. If your oven doesn't bake evenly, rotate the baking sheet 180° halfway through.
- Now for the hard part! Time to transfer these little flavor gems to a safe place to cool. Don’t leave them on the hot sheet; they will melt! Transfer to a plate using a really thin, flexible spatula (or by carefully lifting the entire sheet or parchment). Let them cool for 1-2 minutes.
Hot Honey
- Combine honey, red vinegar, and Aleppo pepper in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave in 10 second intervals until it's a hot liquid. Serve alongside the goat cheese balls.
Notes
I served these goat cheese balls on top of a bed of arugula, alongside curried cauliflower, carrot, and zucchini pickles.
