Cranberry pecan bites are sweet, tangy, and loaded with flavor and texture. Full of chopped cranberries and pecans, coated with graham cracker mixture, and pan-fried until golden brown, these delicious bites make a fantastic holiday appetizer or dessert that everyone will love.
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love These Cranberry Pecan Cheeseball Bites
- Ingredients
- Flavor Variations
- How to Make Cranberry Pecan Bites
- Storage
- What to Serve with Cranberry Pecan Cheese Bites
- Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Try These Easy, Delicious Cranberry Pecan Bites Today
- More Cranberry Recipes You’ll Enjoy
- Cranberry Pecan Bites
We love getting creative with holiday flavors, and our latest creation is one of our biggest hits with our taste testers (husbands and kids). These cranberry pecan bites are full of holly jolly flavor and are done just a little differently with a golden brown graham cracker exterior that gets nice and crunchy thanks to pan-frying them. It’s been a big hit so far, and we can already tell these are going to be a staple holiday recipe for us. We think they’ll be the same for you, too!
Why You’ll Love These Cranberry Pecan Cheeseball Bites
- Basic Ingredients: This recipe only uses basic ingredients. If you do any amount of baking at all, you probably have them all in your kitchen right now.
- Easy to Make: This recipe only takes a little prep and a few minutes of frying. It’s super quick and easy.
- Holiday Flavor: The cranberries and pecans add a blast of holiday flavor to the rich cream cheese filling and its golden graham cracker coating.
- Perfect for Parties: These are hand-held bites, so they’re perfect for holiday parties and gatherings.
Ingredients
For the Cream Cheese Balls
- Cream Cheese: Cream cheese is the rich, tangy base for these delicious bites.
- Sugar: Sugar gives the bites the sweetness they need to balance the cream cheese and cranberries.
- Chopped Cranberries and Pecans: Chopped cranberries and pecans add a classic holiday flavor combination of sweet, tart, earthy, and crunchy.
For the Coating
- Eggs and Heavy Cream: These create the wet base that allows the graham cracker mixture to adhere to the cream cheese balls.
- Crushed Graham Crackers and Panko: These come together to create a sweet, crunchy coating when fried.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Flavor Variations
- Graham Crackers: Use different graham cracker flavors to create a slightly different flavor profile for your bites.
- Chopped Pecans: You can use any of your favorite nuts for this recipe. They’ll all work.
- Heavy Cream: Half and half or milk will work in place of heavy cream.
How to Make Cranberry Pecan Bites
For the Cream Cheese Balls
1: Beat the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy.
2: Mix the cranberries and pecans into the mixture.
3: Roll into bite-sized balls, place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and freeze until solid.
For the Coating
1: Whisk the graham crackers and panko in a shallow container.
2: Whisk the eggs and heavy cream in another shallow container.
Assemble and Frying
1: Roll the balls in the egg mixture and then in the graham cracker mixture, coating them well.
2: Fry a few balls at a time in oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until the balls are golden on all sides.
3: Transfer the balls to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining balls.
4: Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
Storage
Refrigerate these bites for up to 4 days in an air-tight container. For longer storage, freeze them for up to a month in an air-tight, freezer-safe container.
To reheat the bites, defrost them overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. Then, air fry them at 375 until crispy and heated through.
What to Serve with Cranberry Pecan Cheese Bites
Serve these delicious bites with a glass of milk, a cup of coffee or tea, or even some hot chocolate. They also make a great addition to any holiday dessert table alongside other sweet desserts like peppermint cookies, mini apple bundt cakes, and mini sweet potato pies.
Tips
- Be sure your cream cheese is fully softened to avoid little bits of raw cream cheese in your bites.
- It’s important to chill the cream cheese balls until solid so they retain their shape while you fry them.
- Work in small batches to keep the oil nice and hot. You’ll get a nice, crispy coating instead of a soggy one!
Frequently Asked Questions
Cranberry pecan bites are a bit like sweet, mini cheeseballs. They’re made with balls of a sweetened cream cheese mixture full of chopped pecans and almonds. The filling is then coated in a graham cracker and panko breading and fried until golden brown.
Your cream cheese balls should be fully hardened before frying them. Being nice and cold is what keeps them in a ball shape, rather than a melty mess in your skillet.
Plain panko has a very mild flavor that won’t affect the graham cracker sweetness. However, it adds so much crunch to the mixture.
Try These Easy, Delicious Cranberry Pecan Bites Today
With tons of holiday flavor, simple ingredients, and an easy recipe, this is one snack you have to make! This recipe is perfect for parties of all kinds or even just a fun dessert at home during the holiday season, and it’s so easy to make, you won’t mind whipping up batch after batch! Give them a try and you’ll be hooked.
More Cranberry Recipes You’ll Enjoy
If you try this recipe and love it, please be sure to leave a 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and comment! You can also pin it to save it for later. Also, you can follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Remember to “like” or “follow” us on all social media.
Cranberry Pecan Bites
Ingredients
- (2) 8 ounce cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1½ cups crushed panko breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1-2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
- ¼ cup powdered sugar, if desired
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until it’s nice and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in cranberries and pecans. Mix until combined.
- Roll into bite-size balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Place in the freezer and flash freeze for 30-40 minutes.
- In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat.
- In a shallow container, whisk together graham cracker crumbs and breadcrumbs.
- Using another shallow container, whisk the eggs and heavy cream together.
- Roll each bite into the egg mixture then into the graham cracker crumb mixture and make sure they are coated well.
- Add a few at a time into the hot oil and fry until golden on all sides.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and place bites on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Optional: dust with powdered sugar or roll in powdered sugar before serving.
Video
Notes
- Be sure your cream cheese is fully softened to avoid little bits of raw cream cheese in your bites.
- It’s important to chill the cream cheese balls until solid so they retain their shape while you fry them.
- Work in small batches to keep the oil nice and hot. You’ll get a nice, crispy coating instead of a soggy one!
