The ULTIMATE dessert cheese ball! This Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball is made with just 6 ingredients and is perfect for dipping vanilla wafers, graham crackers, or any of your favorite fruits!

When it comes to appetizers, cheese balls are where it’s at. They’re kind of like dips… only fancier… and the flavor combinations are absolutely endless! From my Jalapeño Popper Cheese Ball to my Swiss Almond Cheese Ball, you really can’t go wrong. Because what’s not to love about cream cheese and delicious fillings?

Which got me thinking. Why not extend the world of cheese balls into dessert? We all know that cream cheese is a key ingredient in some of our favorite desserts (Mini Cherry Cheesecakes, anyone?) so why not make a DESSERT CHEESE BALL?

Introducing: the Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball! It’s deliciously sweet and creamy and tastes an awful lot like chocolate chip cheesecake… without all the work! It’s delicious served with vanilla wafers, graham crackers, strawberries, pretzels, or… let’s be honest… by the spoonful!!

what you’ll need for this recipe

Cream cheese – Cream cheese forms the base of this recipe. I used 12 ounces of regular (full fat) cheese, which is 1 1/2 bricks. You can feel free to substitute a reduced fat variety, but I wouldn’t suggest using spreadable or whipped cream cheese as it won’t set properly in this recipe.

Butter – Butter helps to balance out the cream cheese taste in this recipe, giving the cheese ball a delicious cookie dough-like flavor. I used 1/2 cup (1 stick) of salted butter.

Sugars – Just like most chocolate chip cookie recipes, this recipe calls for 2 types of sugar. I used a combination of 1/2 cup powdered sugar, which is perfectly sweet and non-gritty, and 1/4 cup brown sugar, which adds both sweetness and delicious flavor flavor to the cheese ball.

Vanilla extract – 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract adds a little extra depth to this recipe. Feel free to add more or less according to your preferences.

Chocolate chips – Finally, mini chocolate chips are used in not one, but two different ways. I stirred 1/2 cup into the cheese ball, itself, and then coated the entire ball in mini chocolate chips just before serving.

how to make a chocolate chip cheese ball

Combine the butter and sugars. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, powdered sugar and brown sugar. Mix with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add the cream cheese and vanilla. Add the softened cream cheese and vanilla extra and mix again until light and fluffy.

Stir in the chocolate chips. Stir in 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips.

Refrigerate. Roll the mixture into a ball, wrap completely in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. NOTE: You can also make this recipe in advance and store it, wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Be sure to remove it from the fridge a couple hours in advance of serving so it has time to soften up.

Roll in chocolate chips & enjoy. Once your cheese ball has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and unwrap it. Roll it in mini chocolate chips on a large rimmed plate or shallow bowl until coated. Serve with vanilla wafers, graham crackers, pretzels, or fruit!

Recipe Variations

Use reduced fat cream cheese
Substitute unsalted butter
Substitute almond or hazelnut extract for vanilla
Add chopped pecans or walnuts
Add peanut butter or butterscotch chips
Use chocolate chunks instead of mini chocolate chips
Stir a spoonful of peanut butter into the cream cheese mixture before refrigerating

tips for success

Start with softened (but not melted) butter and cream cheese. You should be able to easily make an indent with your finger in both ingredients.
Don’t skip the mixing time! Be sure to mix the ingredients until they’re nice and fluffy.
Leave time to refrigerate. The ball will be very sticky before refrigerating and needs time to “set” in order to hold up properly as a cheese ball.
Don’t skimp on the chocolate chips! Be sure you take the time to completely cover your cheese ball in chocolate chips… not only for the best presentation, but also for the best flavor!

What we love about this recipe

This recipe is easy to make and also easy to make AHEAD for stress-free entertaining. We love that it uses only 6 ingredients, most of which you will already have on hand, and we love that it’s a show stopper at parties and get togethers!

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