Festive star-shaped layered bites with cream cheese, chives, peppers, and cucumber for holiday fun.
# What You'll Need:
→ Bread
01 - 12 slices white sandwich bread
02 - 12 slices whole wheat sandwich bread
→ Fillings
03 - 120 grams cream cheese, softened
04 - 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
05 - 2 tablespoons red bell pepper, finely diced
06 - 2 tablespoons cucumber, finely diced
→ Garnishes
07 - 12 small cherry tomatoes or star-shaped pieces of yellow bell pepper, for tree toppers
08 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped, for leaves
→ Optional
09 - 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
10 - Salt and pepper, to taste
# Directions:
01 - In a small bowl, combine softened cream cheese with finely chopped chives and optional mayonnaise. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
02 - Using star-shaped cookie cutters in three sizes (large, medium, small), cut star shapes from both white and whole wheat bread slices, aiming for one large, medium, and small star per sandwich.
03 - Spread a thin, even layer of the cream cheese mixture onto each bread star.
04 - Sprinkle diced red bell pepper onto one-third of the stars and diced cucumber onto another third for texture and visual variety.
05 - Arrange stars by size, stacking from largest to smallest, alternating bread colors for contrast.
06 - Insert a skewer or toothpick through the center of each stacked sandwich to hold layers together.
07 - Place a cherry tomato or star-shaped piece of yellow bell pepper on top of each stack as a festive tree topper.
08 - Sprinkle finely chopped fresh parsley around the sandwiches to mimic pine needles.
09 - Arrange the sandwiches on a platter and serve immediately to maintain freshness.
