A cheese ball that is dessert, you ask? Yes! It’s time to put a spin on the savory appetizer favorite and get in touch with its sweeter side. Our easy Chocolate Chip Dessert Cheese Ball Recipe will be a great treat to serve for your next gathering.

Dessert Cheese Ball
Notice how I even made the dip look like a cottontail on the little bunny cracker?
I don’t care if you are the laid-back party-goer or the fancy pants appetizer connoisseur, the retro snack of the cheese ball never gets passed by.
For one, it’s cheese.
Second, you can’t help but be curious as to what flavor lies behind the cloak of topping surrounding the sphere.
Is it cheddar with pecans? Or a savory curry-infused cheese covered in chutney gooey goodness?
You dig that little knife right in and spread it all over your cracker and secretly do a little happy dance because it is so darn good!
The surprise hidden in this cheese ball is that it is sweet and will hold its own on any dessert table spread. You can certainly serve as is or in this case, cover with mini chocolate chips and dress it up.
What Do you Serve a cheese ball with?
With this sweet base, you can use vanilla wafers, mini cookies or graham cracker rectangles.
I decided to serve with little bunny graham crackers, but you can certainly use regular graham crackers and make Chocolate Chip Dessert Cheese Ball for any family barbeque or potluck dinner. If you like Teddy Grahams
, they will work too!

Easy Chocolate Chip Dessert Cheese Ball Recipe
What you will need:
- cream cheese
softened at room temperature
- butter- (because everything is better with butter!)
- confectioner sugar
- brown sugar
- vanilla bean paste (optional)
- vanilla extract
- mini chocolate chips
- chopped pecans or mini chocolate chips

First, you will want to cream together softened cream cheese and butter. Beat until light and fluffy, which should take a few minutes. Using the paddle on a stand mixer will provide great results in this step.
Next, you will want to slowly add in both sugars and mix until creamy. Then add vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract.
I like to add both for a really rich flavor and when you can see vanilla bean flecks in any baked good, it just lets you know it is extra yummy.
Stir in chocolate chips until well blended then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour to chill.
Once chilled, remove from fridge and place cheese mixture on a piece of plastic wrap.
It will look like this:

Carefully wrap up the mixture with a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a ball.

Place wrapped ball back into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (or up to overnight). Right before serving, unwrap ball and roll in chopped nuts (great for adults) or in mini chocolate chips (great for kids or adults!)

I love to serve this for the holidays! You could serve with our delicious Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies too!
If you make this amazing chocolate chip dessert cheeseball, please share on Pinterest or Facebook and be sure to tag us!
On Instagram? You can follow and tag us there too at @eatpicks and #eatpicks
Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to get all the latest posts straight to your inbox!


Chocolate Chip Dessert Cheese Ball Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese softened at room temperature
- ½ cup 1 stick butter softened
- ¾ cup confectioner sugar
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp. vanilla bean paste optional
- ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup mini-chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans or mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- In large mixing bowl, cream together softened cream cheese and butter. Beat until light and fluffy. Slowly add in both sugars and mix until creamy.
- Add vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Stir in chocolate chips until well blended.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 1 hour to chill.
- Once chilled, remove from fridge and place cheese mixture on a piece of plastic wrap.
- Carefully wrap up mixture and shape into a ball.
- Place wrapped ball back into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (or up to overnight). Right before serving, unwrap ball and roll in chopped nuts or in mini chocolate chips.
- Serve with assortment of your favorite graham cracker flavors!
I do believe the only appropriate word here is AMAZE BALLS or BALL as it were 🙂
Haha! You should make this for Easter! The kids would love it!
excuse me while i go wipe the drool from the corners of my mouth..
I will most definitely take that as a compliment! 😉
Thanks!
This looks amazing. It’s like a dream dessert because it has chocolate and cheese and YUM. I love your pictures, too, because they make me want to jump into the screen and EAT.
Thanks Andrea!
This is SO super easy to put together…looks like you fussed for hours and tastes amazing. So Good!
And as for jumping through the screen? Can I quote you on that?