Make this festive Christmas appetizer around the holidays when you need a crowd-pleasing bite to put out at your next holiday party! This easy brandied cranberry meatball appetizer recipe comes garnished with cute little holiday hats! Fresh cherry tomato and rosemary sprigs create fun and colorful little holiday hats for our delicious little cranberry meatballs. They are just too easy and too delicious to pass up!
Easy Cranberry Meatballs HOliday Party appetizer with brandy
You’re gonna want to make a double batch if you’re expecting a crowd because these will be gone in minutes! These easy cocktail meatballs are always a huge hit at holiday gatherings and even game day parties. To keep things super quick and easy, use good quality frozen beef meatballs.
Use Your Favorite Brand of Pre-Packaged Frozen Meatballs
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I like to buy the flame-broiled homestyle meatballs because they have a delicious smoky taste! Alternatively, you could use beef frozen meatballs or even turkey meatballs from the freezer section.
These packaged meatballs are usually fully cooked and only require re-heating to serve. This is what keeps easy meatball appetizer recipes simple and fast for special occasions.
AN Easy Christmas Appetizer with cocktail meatballs
To quickly jazz up these store-bought meatballs, we’ll combine dollops of bbq sauce, jellied cranberry sauce, a splash of brandy or bourbon and a little chili sauce.
The brandy adds depth and slow-cooked flavor to the juicy meatballs. The combination of ingredients will balance tart, sweet, and sour flavors. This creates a most irresistible sauce for the party meatballs!
This is one of the best meatball recipes to keep on your list of favorite easy appetizers for the holiday season. Here’s what you’ll need to make it!
Ingredients to Make Brandied Cranberry BBQ Meatballs | Easy Christmas Appetizer
- 2 26oz bags Frozen Homestyle Meatballs
- 1½ cups BBQ Sauce – I used Sweet Baby Ray’s Original
- 1½ to 2 cups Cranberry Sauce – I used Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce
- 2 tbsp or more to taste Chili Sauce – the chili sauce isn’t spicy, it’s similar to ketchup but more flavorful and adds a bit of tasty tang to the sauce.
- 1 tbsp Brandy
- 1 container Fresh Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 package Fresh Rosemary Sprigs
Make This Cranberry BBQ Meatball Appetizer Recipe On The Stovetop
If you have one too many cans of jellied cranberry sauce left over from Thanksgiving, this is a great recipe to use those up!
Make This Cranberry BBQ Meatball Appetizer Recipe In The Crockpot
To turn this great meatball Christmas appetizer into easy slow cooker meatballs, place a sauce pan over medium heat and follow the first step of making the sauce in the saucepan on the stove.
Place the frozen meatballs in the slow cooker and drizzle the sauce over the bbq meatballs. Stir meatballs around in the crockpot until evenly coated with the sauce.
Put the cover on and cook the meatballs in the slow cooker 3 to 4 hours on low or until completely heated through.
Finish Your Cocktail Meatball Appetizer with a Festive Garnish
Turn this easy recipe into the perfect appetizer with a few finishing touches! I like to give this delicious appetizer a fun holiday presentation by making little holiday hats!
This is completely optional, of course, but it fits the occasion and the season. Plus, how cute would these fun homemade meatballs look at the party table with a little pop of Christmas color?!
Garnish and skewer your festive Christmas Appetizer
- To create the little holiday hat garnish, slice fresh cherry tomatoes in half right down the center. Now flip the cherry tomato pieces to position them cut side down on the working surface.
- With the tip of a sharp paring knife, cut openings into the rounded tops of the cherry tomatoes. Make a little cut in the shape of an X on each tomato top.
- To skewer the meatballs, I like to use paper straws in red and green. It makes for a festive Christmas touch!
- Shorten the paper drinking straws by cutting them in half with scissors.
- Now place a piece of sliced cherry tomato (with the X cut facing up) on top of a meatball. Poke the colorful paper drinking straw (which serves as our skewer) through the tomato and into the meatball to hold in place. Repeat the process for remaining meatballs.
- The cut we made in the tomato should allow a little extra space to now tuck in small sprigs and leaves of fresh rosemary. It will create a cute little ‘elf hat’ for the cocktail meatballs.
- If not, make your X cuts a tad wider to accommodate both the straw and the rosemary leaves. Keep in mind that the paper straws are wider than wood skewers.
- If using traditional wood appetizer skewers, just poke these through directly into the meatballs and omit the rosemary garnish. Transfer to a serving platter.
Easy Recipe for A Christmas Potluck or As a Christmas Party Appetizer
Serve these fun and delicious tasty meatballs as an appetizer for a Christmas potluck or as a simple appetizer for a Christmas party.
They almost always strike up a conversation amongst guests with their fun presentation… Serve alongside a few more cold skewer appetizers, this easy Christmas side, or these festive Christmas margaritas!
These easy meatballs make tasty and delicious party food in a flash! They’ll easily become one of your favorite meatball appetizers to prepare for your next festive holiday gathering.
Brandied Cranberry BBQ Meatballs | Easy Christmas Appetizer
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 26oz bags Frozen Homestyle Meatballs
- 1½ cups BBQ Sauce - I used Sweet Baby Ray's Original
- 1½ to 2 cups Cranberry Sauce - I used Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce
- 1 to 2 tbsp Chili Sauce - to taste
- 1 tbsp Brandy or Bourbon - optional
- 1 container Fresh Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 package Fresh Rosemary Sprigs
Instructions
For The Meatball Sauce:
- Combine jellied cranberry sauce, bbq sauce, chili sauce, and brandy or bourbon in a sauce pan over medium heat whisking together until smooth and combined.
- Empty the meatballs into a wide pan (with a lid) on the stove top and top with the sauce mixture.
- Stir the meatballs around in the pan until completely coated in the sauce. Cover and cook for 30 to 35 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly heated through.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- To turn this great appetizer into easy crockpot meatballs, place a sauce pan over medium-low heat and follow the steps above to make the stovetop sauce for the meatballs.
- When sauce is finished, Place meatballs in the slow cooker and drizzle the sauce over meatballs. Stir meatballs around in the crockpot until evenly coated with the sauce. Put the cover on and cook the meatballs for 3 to 4 hours on low or until completely heated through.
Garnish & Serve
- To create the little holiday hat garnish, slice fresh cherry tomatoes in half right down the center. Now flip the cherry tomato pieces to position them cut side down on the working surface.
- With the tip of a sharp paring knife, cut openings into the rounded tops of the cherry tomatoes. Make a little cut in the shape of an X on each tomato top.
- Now place a piece of sliced cherry tomato (with the X cut facing up) on top of a meatball. Poke the colorful paper drinking straw (which serves as our skewer) through the tomato and into the meatball to hold in place.
- Now tuck in small sprigs and leaves of rosemary to accent the tomato garnish on the meatball. Place on a serving platter and enjoy!
