# Components:
→ Bread
01 - 12 slices white or whole wheat sandwich bread
→ Cream Cheese Mixture
02 - 225 grams cream cheese, softened
03 - 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
04 - 1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped
05 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
07 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
→ Vegetables
08 - 1 large English cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds
→ Garnishes (optional)
09 - Red bell pepper, diced (for tree ornaments)
10 - Fresh dill fronds or chives (for tree trunks or branches)
# Directions:
01 - Combine the cream cheese, chives, dill, lemon zest, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl and stir until smooth and creamy.
02 - Use a tree-shaped cookie cutter to cut tree shapes from each slice of bread, reserving scraps for breadcrumbs.
03 - Evenly spread a generous layer of the herbed cream cheese mixture onto each bread tree.
04 - Layer cucumber slices in an overlapping pattern atop the cream cheese to resemble tree branches.
05 - Decorate with diced red bell pepper as ornaments and place dill fronds or chives as tree trunks or extra greenery.
06 - Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours before serving.
