Baked Mac N' Cheese Balls

If you are looking for an alternative to consuming macaroni and cheese, try these crunchy, tasty, delicious cheese balls!

*Makes: 

Ingredients:

• 1 batch macaroni and cheese, prepared as directed and well chilled (1 box store-bought or your favorite homemade recipe, I used a homemade recipe containing bacon, green onion, and a homemade cheese sauce)
• 1/2 cup/ 70g all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• about 1 cup/125g breadcrumbs (seasoned if preferred; I added some salt and pepper)
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil, divided (you may use non-stick cooking spray if you prefer)

Directions: 16 balls

Step 1: Prepare mac 'n cheese according to package directions or preferred recipe. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, up to 3 days; I made these after 1 day. Chilling the mac 'n cheese is an instrumental step and cannot be skipped because the cheese needs to solidify and dry out a bit prior to baking the cheese balls. 

Step 2: About 15 minutes prior to preparing the cheese balls, place the container of mac 'n cheese in the freezer for a quick cold blast. Meanwhile, place flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs in 3 separate small bowls; set aside.

Step 3: Preheat oven to 425F/218C and line two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on each baking sheet, smear it around with your hands; set baking sheets aside (you may also use non-stick cooking spray if you would like).

Step 4: Remove mac 'n cheese from the freezer and using a 1-inch cookie scoop or tablespoon-sized scoop, portion out and shape the balls, making sure not to make them larger than about 1-inch in diameter because after battering and breading, they become much larger in size. Roll each ball through the flour, dip briefly in the egg, roll it through the breadcrumbs, and place it on baking sheet. Repeat until all balls have been battered. I was able to fit 8 balls on each tray, making 16 total. 

Step 5: Bake for 10 minutes, remove trays from oven and add 1 tablespoon of oil to each tray and smear it around, flip balls over, and bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until browned and golden. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Enjoy!