Alpine Village Miniature Houses (Printable Version)

Miniature cheese houses with almond roofs on crackers for whimsical festive platters.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cheese Houses

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

→ Snowy Landscape

03 - 16 round or square pale crackers (water or rice crackers preferred)
04 - 2 tablespoons 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 added detail

# How To Make It:

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

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Kids and adults both lose their minds over food they can build with their hands—it's part snack, part craft project.
  • It looks impressive on a platter but takes barely twenty minutes, which means you can pull it together while everything else is finishing.
  • You can customize each house with whatever you have on hand, so no two villages ever look the same.
02 -
  • Assemble these as close to serving time as possible because crackers start absorbing moisture from the cream cheese and the cheese begins to soften—it's still delicious at an hour in, but the texture is best when everything is fresh and crisp.
  • Soften your cream cheese first, even just for five minutes at room temperature, because it spreads so much more smoothly than cold cream cheese, and your crackers won't crack under pressure.
  • Different cheeses give wildly different results: sharp cheddar creates golden villages, creamy gouda gives you peachy tones, and Swiss with its holes becomes quirky little architectural details—experiment and see what speaks to you.
03 -
  • Keep your almonds in the freezer if you can, because cold almonds are less likely to slip and slide when you're balancing them on top of the cheese cubes.
  • A tiny dab of cream cheese on the underside of each almond acts like edible glue if your roofs keep sliding—it's a trick that changed everything for me.
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