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These adorable Cream Cheese Appetizers with grape tomato hearts shaped like cherries are so charming and fun!
Everyone will love the combination of soft cream cheese, sweet, juicy grape tomatoes, and peppery, fresh basil.
Serve these fun bites as a delicious snack on Valentine’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions.
Serving Suggestion
Skip the heart shapes to make this appetizer any time of the year!
Cream Cheese Appetizer Ingredients
Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details!
- Grape tomatoes: Choose oblong grape tomatoes. You don’t want them too rounded or the heart shape won’t be as obvious.
- Cream cheese: I prefer a block of full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor, but use what you prefer.
- Rye bread: I like seedless rye bread for this recipe.
- Fresh basil: You’ll need the leaves and the stems.
How to Shape the Tomato Hearts
- Halve the grape tomatoes in the center at a slant.
- Slice each half down the middle.
- Connect each set to make a heart shape.
Possible Variations
- Rye bread: Brioche, sourdough, focaccia, pita, baguette, toast, crackers, or ciabatta.
- Cream cheese: Swap for garlic or herb cream cheese, goat cheese, salsa, ham, chorizo, olive tapenade, or pesto.
- Grape tomatoes: Yellow grape tomatoes, oblong grapes or olives.
- Fresh basil: Fresh mint, parsley, and chives will work, too.
How to Store Leftovers
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy them within one day.
FAQs
No. The tomatoes need an oblong shape.
You can make them an hour before you are serving them. Any longer than that and the cream cheese will start to form cracks.
Halve the grape tomatoes in the center. They will still look like cherries.
Skip the heart shape and use smaller pieces of bread such as baguette or ciabatta slices to make these a bite-sized appetizer.
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If you make this recipe or any other recipe on Foodbites, then I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to leave a comment and rating below.
Cream Cheese Appetizers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 grape tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese
- 6 slices rye bread
- 12 basil, stems
- 6 basil , leaves
- sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Use the heart cutter to shape the bread.
- Top the bread with cream cheese.
- Halve the grape tomatoes at a slant.
- Slice each half through the middle.
- Turn the two sets of halves around and match them together to resemble hearts.
- Place the hearts on the broadest part of the bread.
- Use basil stems for the cherry stems and top with a basil leaf.
- Sprinkle sea salt on top, and enjoy.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
