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Snack & Appetizers

Cheese Christmas Trees

No-cook Cheese Christmas Trees with toma, herbs and sun-dried tomatoes: a quick, creative finger food for holiday appetizers.
Recipe Cheese Christmas Trees
  • Difficulty Medium
  • Preparation 15 minutes
  • Servings for 6 people

Welcome your guests with an original, eye-catching touch with this cheese Christmas trees recipe, an appetizer designed to surprise at every holiday buffet. If you’re wondering how to make cheese Christmas trees that bring a festive mood to the table, here is the idea: with just a few carefully chosen ingredients, in a matter of minutes you’ll serve no-cook cheese bites that kids and grown-ups alike will love. The secret? Choose a good creamy cheese, such as a young toma (a semi-soft cheese from northern Italy) or a classic spreadable cheese, and let your imagination guide the decoration, alternating fresh herbs, chopped nuts and bits of sun-dried tomato to evoke the colors of the holidays.

This showstopping appetizer recipe is perfect if you’re looking for quick Christmas appetizer ideas that add a touch of magic to your menu. These savory buffet trees are a versatile, customizable cheese finger food that is truly simple to make. Beyond the visual impact, every bite combines the softness of the spreadable cheese with the aromatic notes of the herbs, while the toasted peanuts and nuts add a lovely crunch. Also ideal as cold holiday appetizers, you can play with the size of your trees and create little forests to enjoy with a glass of sparkling wine.

If you love experimenting and customizing every course, also try Kasnocken, Cheese Gnocchi from Alto Adige, or treat yourself to Gorgonzola Cream or tasty Pumpkin and Cheese Mini Frittatas to expand your repertoire of cheese appetizers even further. Get ready to make every holiday occasion special with just a few simple moves.

Ingredients for 6 people

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Method

  1. To make the Cheese Christmas Trees, start by taking the cheese out of the fridge; place it on the cutting board, remove the paper and, using a suitable knife, cut it into triangles: you can make some larger and some smaller to give the platter some movement, or make them all the same size, as you prefer.
  2. Cut the pretzel sticks in half and gently push them into the base (the shorter side) of each cheese triangle, taking care not to break them, to create the trunks of your trees.
    Cheese Christmas Trees, step 2: pretzel sticks pushed into the cheese triangles as trunks
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the decoration: snip the chives (about 5-6 stalks) and the sun-dried tomatoes with scissors, gather them in a small bowl and mix well to blend the flavors; if you like it spicy, this is the perfect time to add a pinch of dried red chili pepper to the mix.
  4. Using a pastry brush, brush the surface of the cheese triangles with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (or honey if you prefer a sweet-and-savory version), then dip them in or sprinkle them with the herb mixture you prepared earlier so that it sticks well.
    Cheese Christmas Trees, step 4: cheese triangles brushed with oil and coated in chives and sun-dried tomatoes
  5. Arrange the finished trees on a serving platter, decorate everything with toasted salted peanuts or other nuts of your choice, and serve right away to enjoy them at their best. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

If you want to try a different flavor, you can replace the extra virgin olive oil with acacia honey, which gives a very pleasant sweet contrast to the savory cheese.

Tips

For best results, choose a cheese that is somewhere in the middle: not too soft (or it will lose its shape) and not too aged (or it will crumble when you insert the stick). A square toma is ideal, since it makes cutting the triangles easier.

Storage

We recommend eating the trees the same day. If you need to keep them in the fridge, remember to insert the pretzel stick only at the last moment, otherwise the moisture from the cheese will make it soggy.

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