A savory blend of nuts, berries, and herbs coat soft cheese wedges in this fun, festive appetizer. Ready in minutes these Christmas cheese trees are perfect finger food for serving at both seasonal parties and special occasion meals. Impress your guests with minimal effort with this easy holiday recipe!

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year, and I will find any excuse to add a little holiday magic into any and every occasion.

Breakfast, snack, dessert- you name it and we’re giving it an infusion of festive flair. Doesn’t have to be complicated, the easier the better in my book.

The same is true when I’m hosting events, big or small; however, when I’m hosting I don’t always have a lot of extra time for those little touches that make things feel just a little more special.

Luckily there’s always an easy idea in my back pocket like these Christmas cheese trees.

They’re a simple savory appetizer that are as cute to look at as they are tasty to enjoy.

Serve them on there own, with crackers for spreading, or even as part of a simple charcuterie tray. They take minutes to make and will impress guests with minimal extra effort!

Ingredients Needed

Despite their fancy appearance, these festive cheese bites only require a few easy ingredients to come together.

To make them you’ll need:

Cheese – Laughing Cow original cheese wedges, unwrapped and at room temperature.
Pecans – Finely chopped pecans
Cranberries – Dried cranberries, finely diced
Rosemary – Fresh rosemary, finely diced
Salt & Pepper – To taste
Pretzels – Thin pretzel sticks
Honey – For drizzling overtop just before serving

Once you’ve gathered your ingredients you’re ready to begin!

How To Make

Making Christmas cheese is straightforward and fairly simple, despite the fancy looking finish.

Start by unwrapping the cheese wedges. Discard the foil wrapping and set them aside.

Add the diced pecans, cranberries, and rosemary to a mixing bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then stir everything together until the mixture’s evenly combined.

Pick up an unwrapped cheese wedge and press it gently, but firmly into the topping mixture. Just enough for the topping to stick, but not hard enough for it to crack, until it’s evenly coated.

Gently push a pretzel stick into the center of the base of the cheese wedge to form the ‘trunk’ of the tree. If the cheese wedge cracks, don’t panic. You can leave it as is, cover it with a piece from the coating mixture, or use clean fingers to spread the cheese to seal it closed.

Transfer the finished cheese tree to a serving platter of choice, and then continue until they’re all done and arranged evenly out on the tray.

Drizzle a small bit of honey evenly out over all the Christmas cheese trees.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Storing

Leftover Christmas cheese trees can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Variations

While these festive cheese wedges are a perfect savory treat as is, you can easily customize them to fit your preferences.

Cheese – We used the original flavor of Laughing Cow’s spreadable cheese wedges; however, you can easily change up the variety of cheese used for these. Other flavors that would be good include garlic and herb, smoked gouda, and even the spicy pepper jack variety.
Herbs – Switch up the herbs to give these a different taste. Good options include thyme, basil, or even dill. Fresh herbs are best to use for both taste and presentation.
Nuts – Don’t like pecans? Walnuts make a delicious substitution. Pistachios are also a tasty option.
Honey – Give these a kick with a slightly spicy finish by swapping the regular honey drizzle out for a drizzle of hot honey instead.

Enjoy these as is, or switch things up and make them your own. You can’t go wrong either way!

TIPS & TRICKS

Let the cheese soften, just to room temperature, some before pressing it into the topping mixture. This will allow it to stick to the cheese better without having to press too hard.
Don’t push the cheese wedge into the topping too hard, just enough to get the topping to adhere. You should still be able to see some of the cheese poking through.
These can be enjoyed by themselves, or paired with your favorite crackers.
Fresh herbs are a must for the best flavor and presentation.
Like a little heat? Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the topping mixture.
This is a soft cheese and can be prone to cracking, especially when inserting the pretzel sticks. To prevent this use a toothpick to make a guide hole before inserting the pretzel sticks.

Easy Holiday Appetizer Ideas

Christmas cheese trees are a simple, yet savory appetizer perfect for Holiday parties and special occasions.

Ready in minutes this festive finger food looks fancy, tastes great, and is still quick enough to throw together even at the last minute.

Serve them at your next get together and add a little festive flair to your spread. Your guests will be impressed with the pretty presentation and never know they only took you minutes to make!

Looking for other easy seasonal appetizers that will impress your holiday guests?

Try these:

If you’ve tried these CHRISTMAS CHEESE TREES, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!

Christmas Cheese Trees (Viral TikTok Recipe)

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Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Total Time: 15

Servings:

Calories: 47kcal

Author: Meaghan - The Quicker Kitchen

Ingredients

8 Laughing Cow triangle cheese wedges unwrapped
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
3 tbsp dried cranberries finely diced
1 tbsp finely diced fresh rosemary leaves
flaky sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 small pretzel sticks
honey for drizzling

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add the pecans, cranberries, rosemary, salt, and pepper to a small mixing bowl. Gently toss them together until evenly combined.
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, 3 tbsp dried cranberries, 1 tbsp finely diced fresh rosemary leaves, flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
Working with one unwrapped cheese wedge at a time, gently press one side into the topping mixture until it's evenly coated.
8 Laughing Cow triangle cheese wedges
Gently press a pretzel stick into the bottom of the cheese wedge for the 'trunk' of the tree.
8 small pretzel sticks
Transfer the cheese tree to a serving tray of your choice, then repeat until all are done.
Drizzle the cheese trees with a tiny bit of honey.
honey
Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

Let the cheese soften, just to room temperature, some before pressing it into the topping mixture. This will allow it to stick to the cheese better without having to press too hard.
Don't push the cheese wedge into the topping too hard, just enough to get the topping to adhere. You should still be able to see some of the cheese poking through.
These can be enjoyed by themselves, or paired with your favorite crackers.
Fresh herbs are a must for the best flavor and presentation.
Like a little heat? Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the topping mixture.
This is a soft cheese and can be prone to cracking, especially when inserting the pretzel sticks. To prevent this use a toothpick to make a guide hole before inserting the pretzel sticks.