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Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it so the sausage cheese balls release easily and brown evenly.
In a large mixing bowl, add the raw pork breakfast sausage, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and baking mix. It’s easiest if the cheese is freshly shredded so it blends more smoothly with the sausage.
Using clean hands, work the mixture together until everything is very well combined and uniform. This takes a few minutes; you want no dry pockets of baking mix and the cheese evenly distributed through the sausage. If the mixture feels too dry to hold together, keep kneading—once the fat from the sausage softens, it should come together into a cohesive dough-like mass.
Pinch off about 1 tablespoon of the mixture at a time and roll it between your palms into tight, smooth balls, roughly 1 to 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between each so the heat can circulate and they brown instead of steam.
Once all the sausage cheese balls are shaped, transfer the baking sheet to the preheated oven. Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the balls are cooked through, the sausage is no longer pink in the center, and the exteriors are a deep golden brown with little bits of melted cheddar peeking through.
Remove the tray from the oven and let the sausage cheese balls rest on the pan for 3–5 minutes to firm up slightly. Transfer them to a serving plate while still warm for the best texture—crisp and golden on the outside, soft and cheesy inside.
Serve immediately, or hold them warm in a low oven (about 200°F / 95°C) for up to 30–45 minutes. Any leftovers should be cooled completely, then refrigerated in an airtight container and reheated in a 350°F (175°C) oven for about 8–10 minutes to re-crisp before serving.
