Honey Buffalo Meatballs

One of our favorite combinations are sweet and spicy in the same dish, I have a number of recipes that are like that and they are always a hit wth my family.  This meatball recipe is no exception. The flavors start sweet then you get a little heat at the end! This was an instant favorite in our house.  I served them more as an appetizer, but you can easily serve this over rice or buttered noodles.  This made about 30 one inch meatballs and I did not have one left over!

UPDATE~ this is my original recipe that I submitted to Taste of Home Magazine and has since been published.

MEATBALL INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds meatloaf mix (ground beef, pork, veal)
2 eggs
15 crushed buttery crackers (I used Ritz)
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1 1/2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper powder
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup 1% milk

SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup of honey
1/4 cup Frank’s Buffalo Wing sauce
1/4 cup orange apricot marmalade (can use just apricot)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil. Mix all of the meatball ingredients together until well combined. Roll into one inch balls and place on the baking sheet. Do this for all of the meatloaf mixture. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until lightly browned. While the meatballs are baking add all of the sauce ingredients together in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce thickens slightly, roughly  7-10 minutes stirring often.  When the meatballs have cooked for ten minutes transfer them to a slow cooker add the sauce on top of the meatballs and cook on low for 2 hours. Serve warm as an appetizer or over rice or buttered noodles.

Enjoy!