Easy Cucumber Cream Cheese Bites on Pretzels
These cucumber cream cheese bites are an elevated, more modern version of the cucumber apps from 70s-era cookbooks! The cream cheese is whipped with fresh dill and chives, garlic, and lemon zest for a herby and fresh pop of flavor. Pile everything on pretzel crisps for a little crunch, pour some wine, and enjoy this light and easy app with friends!
Ingredients
- 1/2 English cucumber thinly sliced (24 slices)
- Kosher salt to taste
- 4 ounces block cream cheese softened (115 grams)
- 1 Tablespoon heavy cream (15 milliliters)
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill more for garnish
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives (3 grams)
- 1 small garlic clove peeled and grated (1/2 teaspoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- Freshly-cracked black pepper to taste
- 24 pretzel crisps or crackers
Equipment
- Hand mixer, or stand mixer with whip attachment
- Piping bag, with large round tip
Instructions
- First, toss the cucumbers with a few pinches of Kosher salt. Transfer the cucumbers to a fine-mesh sieve and place the sieve over a bowl. Let the cucumbers sit for at least 10 minutes, but preferably 20-30, until the cucumbers release extra water. Use paper towels or a clean linen to pat the cucumbers completely dry.
- While the cucumbers are salting, add the softened cream cheese and heavy cream to a medium mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with whip attachment, beat the cream cheese and heavy cream for 2-3 minutes, until it's very light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
- Add the fresh dill, fresh chives, grated garlic, lemon zest, a pinch of Kosher salt, and black pepper to the cream cheese. Whip for another 1-2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
- Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe a dollop of herb cream cheese on each pretzel crisp. Then, use a butter knife to spread the cream cheese out a little bit.
- Place a cucumber slice on top of each pretzel crisp. Garnish the cucumbers with freshly-cracked black pepper and a sprig of dill. Enjoy right away!
Notes
Salting the cucumbers not only adds flavor but also helps release extra water. This makes the cucumbers super crisp and keeps them from leaking water all over the bites!
Whipping the cream cheese is 100x easier if it's softened. Just pull it out of the fridge about 30-60 minutes before making the recipe.
In the original recipe, I used dill and chives, but this would also be amazing with basil, tarragon, parsley, or any other soft herb.
You want to serve these bites right away, because the pretzels get soft after a while. You can prep the cream cheese a few days in advance, but you want to assemble everything right before serving.
Serving: 1bite, Calories: 24kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 41mg, Potassium: 14mg, Calcium: 6mg
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