Alpine Village Cheese Houses

# The Ingredients You'll Need:

01 - 7 oz firm cheese (cheddar, gouda, or swiss), cut into sixteen 3/4-inch cubes

02 - 32 sliced almonds for roofs and garnish

03 - 16 round or square pale or white crackers (e.g., water or rice crackers)

04 - 2 tablespoons softened cream cheese

05 - Small bunch fresh chives, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

06 - 1 small red bell pepper, diced

07 - Poppy seeds or sesame seeds for garnish

01 - Spread a thin layer of softened cream cheese evenly over each cracker to simulate snow.

02 - Set one cheese cube atop each cream cheese-covered cracker, pressing gently to adhere.

03 - Position two almond slices on each cheese cube to form a pitched roof, slightly overlapping for effect.

04 - Use chive pieces and diced red bell pepper to add trees, doors, or windows on and around the houses as desired.

05 - Sprinkle poppy or sesame seeds over the arrangement for additional detail.

06 - Arrange all cheese houses neatly on a serving platter for festive presentation.

01 -

It's impossible to eat just one—the contrast of creamy cheese, crispy crackers, and crunchy almonds keeps your hand reaching for more.
People actually pause mid-conversation to photograph it, which means you've created something worth remembering.
Assembly takes barely twenty minutes, yet it looks like you spent hours crafting a masterpiece.

02 -

Crackers soften quickly once they meet the cream cheese, so assemble these no more than an hour before serving—timing matters more than you'd think.
Soft or room-temperature cheese cubes are your enemy; they'll compress and won't hold their shape, so use firm cheese straight from the fridge and only soften the cream cheese.

03 -

Toast your almonds lightly before arranging them; they'll have deeper flavor and hold their crispness longer against the soft cheese.
Use a very sharp small knife to dice your pepper and cut your chives cleanly—torn pieces look rough, while clean cuts add polish and intentionality to your alpine scene.