Christmas Cheese Trees
This Christmas Cheese Trees recipe turns cheese triangles, pretzels, and a mixture of herbs, nuts, and dried cranberries into a fun, festive, and effortless holiday appetizer!
Servings: 8 trees
Ingredients
- 8 Laughing Cow cheese triangle wedges
- 1/4 cup very finely chopped pecans
- 3 tablespoons dried cranberries very finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme (or rosemary)
- flaky sea salt and pepper to taste
- 8 pretzel sticks
- honey for drizzling, optional
- crackers and pretzel thins for serving
Instructions
- Unwrap the cheese wedges.
- In a shallow bowl, combine the pecans, cranberries, thyme, and seasonings.
- Lightly press one side of the cheese into the pecan-cranberry mixture, just enough so it adheres. (You should still be able to see some of the cheese showing through.)
- Gently push a pretzel stick into the bottom rounded end of each cheese wedge for the ‘trunk’ (see note below.)
- Arrange on a serving tray and drizzle each cheese wedge with just a hint of honey. Enjoy with pretzel thins and crackers.
Video
Notes
Variation. Another variation I love is to use walnuts, dried apricots, and parsley in place of the pecans/cranberries/thyme. (You can also play around with other herbs and spices, like basil, herbs de Provence, rosemary, and dill. Crushed red pepper would be a great way to add some heat and red color.)
Cracks in the cheese. While pushing in the pretzel sticks, they may cause cracks in the cheese wedges. To avoid this, it helps to make a smaller hole with a toothpick/skewer, before inserting the pretzels. If you still get cracks, just smooth them out a bit with your fingers.
Nutrition
Calories: 46kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 53IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 0.3mg