Cranberry Goat Cheese Bites

This Cranberry Goat Cheese Bites shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser.  All opinions are mine alone. #HolidayRITZ  #CollectiveBias

Ready or not the holiday season is upon us and I’m actually starting to feel — dare I say it — like I’m getting a handle on things. I love this time of year ~ it’s so festive and yes even a little chaotic having family and friends over. But because entertaining isn’t the only thing on my agenda ~ you too? ~ I need easy, delicious recipes that splurge on flavor and wow factor. Today I’m sharing no-bake, 5-ingredient Cranberry Goat Cheese Bites – sweet, savory, a little nutty ~ all rolled into bite-size balls served on RITZ Crackers with definite wow factor going on.

When my oldest daughter was a child, RITZ Crackers and ‘cheese’ squirted from a can was one of her favorite after school snacks. She was a really picky eater and I’m not ashamed to say this snack even morphed into her lunch some days. 

For the record, she’s grown now, shows no ill effect from the ‘cheese’ and actually has an adventurous appetite, willing to try almost anything except kidney beans, but that’s another story.

It’s easy to see how RITZ Crackers  became her favorite ~ buttery, lightly crunchy and so good without any overwhelming flavors so they compliment anything from tomato soup to Cranberry Goat Cheese Bites and yes, even cheese from the can.

Cranberry Goat Cheese Bites are really quick to whip up too but if you need a hand with them, anyone old enough to play with Play-Doh can be enlisted to help roll them once the ingredients are mixed. No cooking is required and with this festive presentation, they’re almost a decoration by themselves.

You can find all the ingredients at Walmart including a selection of serving platters and don’t forget the coupon below! 

 

Just 5 simple ingredients:

1. RITZ Crackers
2. 1/4 cup of dried cranberries
3. 1/4 cup of pistachios
4. 2 teaspoons of honey
5. 6 ounces of goat cheese

It’s important to bring the goat cheese to room temperature first, so it’s easier to blend with the other ingredients. While the goat cheese is warming up, finely chop the pistachios and dried cranberries.

Once the goat cheese is room temperature, reserve one tablespoon each of the pistachios and cranberries then fold in the remaining amount along with the honey, blending thoroughly so there are bits of berries and pistachios throughout the goat cheese.

Roll the Cranberry Goat Cheese Bites into balls, about one half teaspoon for each. This gives you the perfect cheese-cracker ratio. Lightly ‘stamp’ the top of each ball into the reserved cranberry-pistachio mix then place the cheese ball into the center of the RITZ Crackers and refrigerate. They’re best at room temp, so take them out of the refrigerator 15-20 minutes before guests arrive.

Cranberry Goat Cheese Bites can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container. This is also a good way to transport them to a party and quickly assemble on the RITZ Crackers when you arrive.

5 ingredients

No cooking

Served at room temperature

Delicious + wow factor

What will you serve on RITZ Crackers?