First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Then, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with a little cooking spray. This just makes cleanup easier and ensures your sausage balls don’t stick to the pan. You can also use a silicone baking mat if you’ve got one.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sausage, shredded cheddar cheese, Bisquick, milk, and garlic powder. I recommend using your hands here, since it’s the easiest way to get everything mixed together well. The dough will be thick and a little sticky, but that’s totally fine. If you find the mixture’s a little too sticky, you can add a touch more Bisquick until it’s workable. Just make sure it’s not too dry; you want that perfect texture that holds together but isn’t too stiff.

Now comes the fun part! Use your hands to roll the mixture into small balls, about the size of a golf ball (or a little smaller if you want bite-sized pieces). I find that using a tablespoon to scoop out the mixture helps keep things even. Place them on your prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Don’t worry about them spreading too much—they’ll stay in their ball shape during baking.

Pop your baking sheet into the preheated oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the sausage balls are golden brown on top and cooked through. The cheese should be bubbly, and the sausage will have browned up nicely. I usually check after 20 minutes to see if they’re golden, then let them go a few more minutes if needed. You want them to have that crispy outer layer but still stay soft and tender inside.

While the sausage balls are baking, you can make the garlic butter topping. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Once it’s melted, stir in the garlic powder and dried parsley. Let it cook for about a minute to infuse all that amazing flavor into the butter. You can also add a pinch of salt if you like a little extra seasoning. I like to use unsalted butter because it lets me control the salt, but if you only have salted butter, just be sure to adjust the salt to taste.

As soon as the sausage balls come out of the oven, brush them with the garlic butter topping. You can be generous with the butter, as it adds an incredible richness to each bite. I love to give them a good coating so every ball is shiny and coated in that buttery goodness.

These little bites of heaven are best served warm, right out of the oven. But don’t worry if they cool down a bit—they’re still delicious. Grab some toothpicks or just pop them into your mouth with your fingers. Either way, you’ll be in cheesy, sausage-filled heaven.