Apple & Thyme Sausage Balls
I remember the first time I saw a sausage ball after we moved to the “Deep South”. It was at a Bible Study Christmas party and everyone went WILD for them. I thought it was a fluke, until I proceeded to see a plate (or three!) at every single Christmas gathering I attended for the next 9 years. A friend explained the these savory little morsels are present at every Southern holiday gathering and were made from a mixture of Bisquick, shortening, and Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage. That description turned me off from trying them, but intrigued me enough to tinker with my own recipe made with real ingredients. I still haven’t tasted a “real” sausage ball, but my version with apple butter and thyme is guaranteed to fly off the holiday plates.
Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup cold butter
2 pounds ground breakfast sausage
8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons apple butter
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grate the cold butter with a large cheese grater or diced into small cubes. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add the butter and use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until it is sandy in texture. Add the thyme, cheese and apple butter and mix again with your fingers. Add the sausage and use your hands to gentle combine the mixture together. You don’t want to apply too much pressure and compress the mixture together, just enough to get the flour mixture and the sausage evenly incorporated.
Line a large baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper and use a small scoop or spoon to make little balls with about 2 tablespoons of mixture. Roll them gently into a ball. Place them about 1 inch apart from each other. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown on the outside. Enjoy hot or at room temperature!
