These lovely Christmas present appetizers are made with herbed goat cheese, chives, parsley, and one little pink peppercorn. They’re simple, adorable, and delicious! A perfect holiday appetizer recipe to put all of your party guests in the holiday spirit!
I thought the internet could use a few little Christmas present appetizers. When I search for holiday appetizers, the only present-related treats I find are either whole cheese blocks or some pretty tricky-looking constructions.
I wanted to make appetizers that were cute that didn’t look silly, were simple and tasted as nice as they looked. I think these little presents are perfect. They also pair so well with other holiday appetizers! All you need is a little, 1½-inch square cookie cutter to easily shape them.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
They’re so simple to make – The “trickiest” part is shaping the cheese onto the crackers, but it’s pretty simple once you get going.
They’re so original – Rather Instagram-worthy. Expect a few appetizer selfies from your guests to fill your feed.
They’re cute, classy, and fun – I love fun appetizers, but it’s tricky to sometimes balance “cute” with “refined.” I think these are such charming little creations that add playfulness to any holiday party spread, without looking tacky.
Ingredients Notes
Herbed Goat Cheese – I like herbed goat cheese because it adds a little texture to the “wrapping paper” of the presents, but you can use plain cheese as well.
If you think it will be a little tricky to shape goat cheese with a cookie cutter, you can use a more firm cheese like mozzarella or cheddar. You will require a softer cheese like cream cheese to adhere the pink peppercorns to the chives, though.
Pink Peppercorns – Do NOT substitute with real holly berries which are poisonous.
Parsley – Choose curly parsley instead of Italian parsley. The leaves are smaller and make better “bows.”
How to Make These Appetizers – Step by Step
1. Place a 1½-inch square cookie cutter in the center of a rice cracker. Spoon about 1½ tsp. herbed goat cheese into the cookie cutter, and evenly fill it to the sides.
2. Use a small spoon or a (latex or plastic covered) finger to press and gently ease the cookie cutter up, leaving a nice goat cheese square.
3. Use kitchen scissors to cut a chive into 2 pieces that are the length of the square. Lay one down the center and cut one of them in half. Place the two smaller pieces on the sides to make a cross.
4. Carefully, stick a teeny, tiny bit of goat cheese to a pink peppercorn.
5. Place the peppercorn in the center of the chive “ribbon.” It will stick easier than you think it will.
6. Add 2 teeny, tiny parsley leaves on the sides. I find it’s helpful to use a toothpick or cocktail pin to press them into the cheese.
Common Questions
If you have trouble finding them in your local food store, you can easily find pink peppercorns on Amazon or in a specialty spice shop. You can also take a straw and punch little circles out of red bell pepper like I did for these Christmas deviled eggs.
Yes. Unlike black peppercorns, they’re milder, often a little hollow inside, and can be eaten whole.
Yes. Mozzarella, pepper jack, cheddar, horseradish cheddar, gruyere and Swiss will all work nicely. You will, however, require a very soft cheese like cream cheese to adhere the pink peppercorn to the chives, and you may need a little to make the chives stay in place.
I find rice crackers start to go stale after about an hour when refrigerated with the cheese, but they will be tasty up until then. If you want to make them even further ahead of time, Ritz crackers or other more dense, wheat-based, buttery crackers tend to stay crispy longer.
These were made to go with a whole assortment of holiday appetizers that look beautiful together. Christmas roses, cherry tomato ornaments, bell pepper stars, and jalapeño wreaths were all a part of the menu. They all look so pretty together!
A Little Tip
Look for parsley with the tiniest leaves. They’re often in the center of a bunch. I find one with tiny leaves, then cut those in half to be even tinier.
More Holiday Appetizer Inspiration
What I Used to Make These Appetizers
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Festive Goat Cheese Christmas Present Appetizers
Equipment
- 1½-inch cookie cutter
- small spoon
- kitchen scisors
- toothpick
Ingredients
- 12 rice crackers
- 3 chives
- 4 oz. herbed goat cheese
- 2 oz. curly parsley leaves
- 12 pink peppercorns
Instructions
- Place a 1½-inch square cookie cutter in the center of a rice cracker. Spoon about 1½ tsp. herbed goat cheese into the cookie cutter, and evenly fill it to the sides.
- Use a small spoon or a (plastic-gloved) finger to press and gently ease the cookie cutter up, leaving a nice goat cheese square.
- Use kitchen scissors to cut a chive into 2 pieces that are the length of the square. Lay one down the center, and cut one of them in half, and place on the sides to make a cross.
- Carefully, stick a teeny, tiny bit of goat cheese to a pink peppercorn.
- Place the peppercorn in the center of the chive “ribbon.” It will stick easier than you think it will.
- Add 2 teeny, tiny parsley leaves on the sides. I find it’s helpful to use a toothpick or cocktail pin to press them into the cheese.
Linda M
These are adorable! I saw some red peppercorns in brine today at Publix grocery store. I had never heard of them and have no idea how they taste. I’m guessing they are softer than the dry pink ones. Would those work in this recipe?
Genevieve Morrison
They may be the same kind of peppercorns. “Pink” peppercorns are actually more red than pink. I have a feeling they’d work nicely.