Best Ever Sweet and Sour Cocktail Meatballs

Behold! The ONLY cocktail meatball recipe you will ever need! These juicy meatballs are tangy, sweet, perfectly-sized and seasoned with onion, garlic and oregano. But it's apricot-chili glaze that really sends them soaring. And the coolest part? Instead of breadcrumbs, the meatballs are laced with crushed "cocktail crackers", which add a divine toasted flavor while keeping with the cocktail theme.

Now would be a good time for you to toss that old-fashioned recipe calling for frozen meatballs and a glaze concoction made with, ahem, grape jelly and cocktail sauce. Grape jelly? On toast only please. Apricot preserves are sticky and sweet and the flavor perfectly compliments the zesty chili sauce.

These are healthy too! You can feel good about serving these treats to your guests for two reasons - the meatballs are homemade (not premade/frozen) and they're BAKED, not fried.

Want to prep ahead? Fantastic. Prepare and roast the meatballs as instructed, and then refrigerate them for up to 24 hours (in a freezer bag is fine). When you're about ready to serve, reheat the meatballs in the sauce, simmering until the sauce reduces to a thick glaze that coats the meatballs.

Best Ever Sweet and Sour Cocktail Meatballs

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup crushed crackers (I used Club crackers, but Ritz crackers would work too, as would your favorite cocktail cracker)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup apricot preserves
1 cup chili sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
In a large bowl, mix together the beef, crushed crackers, egg, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Mix well and shape the mixture into small (1 1/2-inch) meatballs, making about 32-34 meatballs.
Transfer the meatballs the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes, until browned and cooked through.
In a large skillet, combine the apricot preserves and chili sauce. Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add the cooked meatballs and simmer for 5 minutes, until the sauce reduces to a thick glaze.
Transfer the meatballs to a serving dish and serve with wooden picks.

Makes 32-34 meatballs