Alpine Village Cheese Houses (Printable)

Miniature cheese cubes topped with almond roofs on crackers, styled as an alpine village for festive gatherings.

# Components:

→ Cheese Houses

01 - 7 oz firm cheese (cheddar, gouda, or swiss), cut into sixteen 3/4-inch cubes
02 - 32 sliced almonds (for roofs and garnish)

→ Snowy Landscape

03 - 16 pale or white crackers (e.g., water or rice crackers)
04 - 2 tbsp cream cheese, softened

→ Decoration (optional)

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 additional detail)

# Method:

01 - Spread a thin layer of softened cream cheese evenly over each cracker to resemble snow.
02 - Place one cheese cube on top of each cream cheese-coated cracker, pressing gently to secure.
03 - Position two almond slices on each cheese cube to create a pitched roof, slightly overlapping for effect.
04 - Use chive pieces and diced red bell pepper to represent trees, doors, and windows on each house as desired.
05 - Optionally, sprinkle poppy or sesame seeds over the houses for additional visual interest.
06 - Place all assembled houses on a large serving platter for presentation.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Kids will actually help build these instead of losing interest halfway through—they're constructing something, not just eating.
  • It looks impressive enough for a holiday party but takes barely any kitchen time, leaving you free to handle the rest of the spread.
  • You can make it as simple or as detailed as you want, which means no stress about getting it picture-perfect.
02 -
  • Timing matters here—if you make these more than an hour ahead, the crackers start absorbing moisture from the cream cheese and lose their crunch, so assemble them as close to serving as you can.
  • Slightly overlapping the almond slices makes all the difference between them looking like scattered pieces and looking like an actual pitched roof, so take that extra second to arrange them properly.
03 -
  • Lightly toast your almond slices in a dry skillet for two minutes before assembling—it deepens their flavor and makes them slightly more pliable for arranging.
  • Keep a damp paper towel nearby while you're decorating so you can wipe cheese residue off your fingers without disrupting what you've already placed, which keeps everything looking intentional rather than messy.
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