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Snack & Appetizers

Savory Christmas Candles

Savory Christmas Candles: a tasty appetizer with Emmental, crisp bread and a pearl onion flame that brings originality to your table.
Recipe Savory Christmas Candles
  • Difficulty Medium
  • Preparation 10 minutes
  • Cooking 5 minutes
  • Servings for 15 pieces

Have you ever wanted to surprise your guests with a showstopping Christmas appetizer that’s easy to make and full of flavor? This savory Christmas candles recipe is the perfect solution if you want to bring a touch of magic to the table during the holidays, turning simple ingredients into a true masterpiece of savory holiday finger food. Thanks to the mix of cream cheese, crisp freshly toasted sandwich bread, cured meats and the remarkable versatility of Emmental or ham, you’ll make little candles that win over grown-ups and kids alike with their originality and flavor.

If you’re always looking for a quick Christmas appetizer idea but want to avoid the usual forgettable snacks, this is just what you need. It’s a tasty, easy alternative to the classic savory candles with sandwich bread and salmon: you can vary the filling and let your imagination run, using ham or smoked salmon, for example, to surprise every palate. The different textures, from the crunch of the bread to the soft layer of cream cheese and the richness of good cured meat, make an appetizer that awakens all the senses. The pickled pearl onion on top adds that eye-catching touch that recalls a candle flame and makes this appetizer perfect as a centerpiece too.

The beauty of this easy Christmas appetizer recipe is how quickly it comes together: just a few minutes stand between you and a true edible work of art. If you have children, let them help and turn the preparation into a festive moment to share. You can also take advantage of the versatile base, using puff pastry to make an elegant Christmas puff pastry appetizer. If you love surprising your guests with ideas like this, don’t miss our related recipes such as the Savory Christmas Log, the Mini Savory Pandoro with Cheese Sauce or the Savory Christmas Tree with Tuna, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Olives. Start your holiday menu with creativity and let your table light up with flavor and color.

Ingredients for 15 pieces

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Method

  1. To make the Savory Christmas Candles, start with the base: take the slice of sandwich bread and, using a small round cutter (the base of a pastry tip about 3.5 cm (1 1/2 inches) wide, a clean bottle cap or a liqueur glass work perfectly), cut out small circles. Try to make the most of the space on the slice of bread to get about 15 discs.
    Cutting small circles from a slice of sandwich bread
  2. Arrange the bread circles you just cut on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle them with a little extra virgin olive oil and bake them in an oven preheated to 200 °C (400 °F) for 5 minutes, or use the air fryer at 200 °C (400 °F) for 3-4 minutes, until lightly golden and crisp.
    Bread circles drizzled with olive oil on a lined baking sheet
  3. While the bases bake, make the body of the candle. Take the salami, cut it into thin slices and remove the outer casing. Then cut the piece of Emmental into strips (sticks) about 5 cm (2 inches) long and 1 cm (3/8 inch) thick, which will act as the wax.
    Slicing the salami and cutting the Emmental into sticks
  4. Now assemble: take a toasted bread circle, by now lukewarm, spread a thin layer of cream cheese on it and place a slice of salami on top. Thread a stick of Emmental onto a toothpick (sliding it to the middle of the toothpick, so the point sticks out both above and below) and fix it onto the salami base. Finally, make the flame by spearing a pickled pearl onion onto the tip of the toothpick sticking out of the Emmental. Repeat for all the candles. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

You can replace the salami with rounds of hot dog or cubes of thick-cut ham, and the Emmental with another firm cheese that holds its shape, such as mild provolone.

Tips

For an even quicker no-cook version, you can skip toasting the bread and use small round crackers or ready-made crostini as the base. If you don’t like pearl onions, you can make the flame with a small piece of red bell pepper or a little triangle of carrot.

Storage

You can keep the candles in the fridge for a couple of days in an airtight container. If you want the bread to stay crisp, we recommend preparing the components ahead (toasted bases and cheese skewers) and assembling everything with the cream cheese only shortly before serving.

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