LAURA LAUGHLIN HELTSLEY shares that the Christmas tradition when she was growing up was for her mother to make these sausage cheese bites on Christmas Eve, bake them the next morning, and then place them in a lined basket to serve. They’d pass them around while opening gifts and discovering what Santa had delivered the night before. This tradition has carried on to Laura’s own family, and DANNA LAUGHLIN (Murfreesboro, Tennessee)—known as Nana to Laura’s two children—still makes the sausage cheese bites for her growing family’s Christmas morning enjoyment. Now, however, she has two young elves—Katherine Paige and Jackson Campbell Heltsley (Nashville, Tennessee)—to help her make them on Christmas Eve!
1 pound ground sausage, uncooked, at room temperature
3 cups biscuit mix
4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Cooking spray
1 In a large bowl mix together the raw sausage and biscuit mix, using your hands. Add the cheese and mix until evenly distributed. The mixture will be crumbly.
2 Using your hands, roll the mixture into bite-size balls, squeezing so the mixture holds together. (If the mixture is too dry, try adding a few drops of water.) At this point you can either bake them or freeze until ready to serve. (Nana freezes hers overnight and bakes them the next morning—she swears it makes all the difference!)
3 When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place the balls on the cookie sheet approximately 1 inch apart. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes; then turn over to prevent sticking. Bake an additional 9 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the cookie sheet and serve warm or at room temperature.
MAKES 3 DOZEN BALLS.
NOTE: It’s important not to precook the sausage before mixing with the other ingredients. Working with the raw sausage at room temperature is best, and it’s imperative to mix the ingredients very well or the mixture won’t stick together. To bake from frozen, thaw on the cookie sheet 15 minutes before baking.