Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball Recipe (Make ahead)

Easy Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball is the perfect dessert side dish for holiday parties. You can make this cream cheese ball hours before serving it.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball Recipe

I love any delicious dessert recipe that can come together a few hours before a holiday party. This epic cream cheese ball with mini chocolate chips tastes fantastic and looks fun when served.

The combination of cream cheese, mini chocolate chips, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla is so good, and this recipe is crazy easy to make.

The cream cheese balls I saw at holiday parties looked like they took hours to prepare. Little did I know that they took hours napping in the refrigerator after only a few minutes of preparation. LOL

Now, if I could only fit in a few hours of naptime during the holidays, is anyone else feeling wiped out this year?

This chocolate chip cheeseball is the perfect addition to your appetizer dips. Full of flavor that reminds me of cookie dough, it is the perfect easy dessert.

Ingredients needed

Here is a quick overview of the simple ingredients for making an epic Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball! The printable recipe card at the bottom of the post includes specific measurements and step-by-step instructions.

• Cream Cheese
• Butter
• Vanilla
• Brown Sugar
• Confectioners Sugar/powdered sugar
• Mini Chocolate Chips

Optional - Chopped pecans, toffee bits, cocoa powder, walnuts, almonds, cashews

Serve with graham crackers, chocolate graham crackers, or other dessert cookies, apple slices, vanilla wafers, pretzels, Oreo cookies, animal crackers, or Nilla wafers

Equipment Needed

• Large Mixing Bowl: We are big fans of this glass batter bowl with a handle. It makes it easy to mix ingredients and keeps the mixing bowl steady on the counter.
• Hand Mixer/Stand Mixer: You can mix this with either a manual hand mixer or your electric stand mixer.
• Spatula
• Cereal Bowl
• Saran Wrap 

How to Make a Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

I've included complete instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here's a quick version.

Cream together the softened cream cheese, vanilla, and butter until creamy.

Slowly add in brown sugar and confectioner sugar until blended.

Stir in mini chocolate chips until evenly spread.

Place a large piece of plastic wrap in a cereal-sized bowl. Add a handful of mini chocolate chips on top of the saran wrap.

Place the cream cheese mixture into the bowl and cover it with mini chocolate chips. Make sure to get as many as you can down the sides.

Shape it into a ball with the cream cheese mixture and fully wrap it in saran or plastic.

Chill in the fridge for at least an hour

Remove from saran wrap and press in any mini chocolate chips that fall out as you transfer. Make sure to coat the cream cheese ball thoroughly in chocolate chips.

Serve with graham crackers or other dessert crackers or cookies.

Preparation and Storage

Make Ahead: This Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball is make-ahead-friendly! Refrigerate it for at least an hour before serving so the ball and all the flavors meld together.

Storage: Wrap leftovers in a tight layer of saran wrap, aluminum foil, or an airtight container, then enjoy them within five days.

Freezing/How to Freeze: You can freeze wrapped leftovers for up to a month.

 

Recipe Variations

Substitutions:

Neufchatel is a fantastic lower-fat cream cheese alternative that makes this shareable dessert a little healthier. Check out these other cream cheese alternatives if you are in a pinch.

You can also try a different flavor of mini chocolate chips or mix them to create other flavors. This would be great with dark chocolate chips. 

Vegetarian Option:

This crowd-pleasing dessert recipe is vegetarian-friendly.

Vegan Option:

Replace the cream cheese, butter, and mini chocolate chips with plant-based alternatives to make a vegan Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball.

Gluten-Free:

Look for mini chocolate chips with a gluten-free label to avoid cross-contamination and make this recipe gluten-free.

Smaller Serving Size + Larger Group/More Servings:

The written recipe makes 16 servings and scales quickly using the slider in the recipe card below. If you scale up, check that you have a large enough platter to serve.

Sugar-Free: 

To make this recipe sugar-free, look for sugar-free alternatives for brown sugar and confectioner’s sugar, and check that your cream cheese and mini chocolate chips have no added sugar.

 

Tips for the Best Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

• Serve this Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball with graham crackers, chocolate graham crackers, or other dessert cookies, apple slices, vanilla wafers, pretzels, Oreo cookies, animal crackers, or Nilla wafers.

 

What to Serve with Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

This easy, make-ahead-friendly dessert is perfect for sharing and tastes like a chocolate chip cheesecake! Here are menu planning suggestions for a delicious and easy feast for any size get-together.

Sides: Broccoli Casserole, Apple Stuffing, Funeral Potatoes, BLT Pasta Salad, Southern Fried Cabbage with Bacon, Air Fryer Baked Potato, Jiffy Cornbread with Sour Cream, Sweet Potato Casserole with Candied Yams, Southern Style Green Beans, CrockPot Bourbon Baked Beans

Main Dishes: Cracker Barrel Broccoli Cheddar Chicken, Stovetop Meatloaf, Chicken Casserole with Ritz Crackers, CrockPot Rosemary Pork, Cracker Barrel Chicken & Dumplings, CrockPot Macaroni & Cheese with Ham, CrockPot Salisbury Steak, CrockPot Ham & Cheese Grits

Desserts: Marbled Cherry Pie Cake, Lemon Bars, Lemon Icebox Pie, Lemon Dump Cake, Pig Pickin' Cake, Bisquick Apple Cobbler, Bisquick Peach Cobbler, Molasses Cookies, Banana Bread, Classic Chocolate Brownies, Texas Sheet Cake Cookies, M&M Cookies

Drinks: Coke Slushie, Red Robin Freckled Lemonade, CopyCat McDonald's Sweet Tea

When to Serve

• Lunch
• Dinner
• Afternoon Snack
• Coffee or Tea Snack
• Potluck
• Picnic or barbecues 
• Party Food for book clubs, holiday gatherings, birthday dinners
• Game Day for Super Bowl Sunday football party

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