Alpine village cheese houses (Print)

Miniature cheese cubes with almond roofs atop creamy crackers, perfect for festive bites and party platters.

# What You Need:

→ Cheese Houses

01 - 7 oz firm cheese (cheddar, gouda, or swiss), cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 16 cubes)
02 - 32 sliced almonds (for roofs, plus extras for garnish)

→ Snowy Landscape

03 - 16 round or square pale crackers (such as water crackers or rice crackers)
04 - 2 tbsp cream cheese, softened (for snow effect)

→ Decoration (optional)

05 - 1 small bunch fresh chives, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (for trees or bushes)
06 - 1 small red bell pepper, diced (for doors or windows)
07 - Poppy seeds or sesame seeds (for added detail)

# Directions:

01 - Spread a thin layer of softened cream cheese evenly over each cracker to simulate a snowy surface.
02 - Place a cheese cube on top of each prepared cracker, pressing gently to secure.
03 - Arrange two almond slices on each cheese cube, overlapping slightly to form a pitched roof.
04 - Use chive pieces and diced red bell pepper to create trees, doors, and windows on each house as desired.
05 - Optionally sprinkle poppy or sesame seeds over the scene for extra decorative detail.
06 - Arrange all completed miniature houses on a large serving platter for presentation.

# Helpful Hints:

01 -
  • It looks impossibly fancy but takes just 20 minutes, which means you can actually pull it off on a busy day.
  • Kids and adults both get genuinely excited about building their own edible landscape, turning appetizers into an experience.
  • You probably have most of these ingredients already, and the ones you don't are inexpensive staples.
02 -
  • Assemble these as close to serving time as possible because crackers soften when they sit with cream cheese for more than an hour or two.
  • If your almonds keep sliding off, your cheese cubes might be warm or your cream cheese layer too thin—both are fixable with a few seconds of attention.
  • Different cheeses actually look different and taste different, so using a mix of colors makes the village feel more real and authentic.
03 -
  • Chill your cheese cubes and cream cheese before assembly so everything stays firm and stable, and the almonds will grip better against cold surfaces.
  • If you're serving a crowd, arrange the finished village on the platter so the cutest, most Instagram-worthy houses are front and center—people eat with their eyes first.
Go back