Cheese Dreams

4.8
(20)
17 Reviews

These cheesy gems will be the first appetizer to disappear.

By
Julia Reed
Julia Reed
Julia Reed
A native of Greenville, Mississippi, Julia Reed was a well-known journalist, writer, commentator, and humorist. She was a contributing editor for Southern Living, Elle Décor, Garden and Gun and wrote for Vogue, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications. Julia was the daughter of Judy and Clarke Reed. Her mother was a native of Nashville; her father, a businessman and leader of the Mississippi Republican Party. Julia Reed covered a variety of topics that involved food, women's fashion, entertaining, Southern culture, etiquette, home design, and more. She was a born storyteller and a brilliant writer, and she used her talents to produce half a dozen books and hundreds of articles, including many for Southern Living. (1960-2020)
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Updated on December 31, 2023
Recipe tested by
Southern Living Test Kitchen
Southern Living Test Kitchen
Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen

The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama.

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Active Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
45 mins
Yield:
3 dozen

Make cheese dreams the day before you plan to serve them, and refrigerate them. Or freeze up to 3 weeks if you're really working ahead. If frozen, pop in the oven straight from the freezer; increase the bake time by 10 minutes.

We find that sharp Cheddar works best for creating a super cheesy flavor, but feel free to experiment with your favorite flavor of Cheddar—an aged white Cheddar would be amazing here.

You get a nice little kick of flavor from the Worcestershire, dry mustard, and ground red pepper. These cheesy dreams are similar to our other favorite Southern cheese-laden snack: the cheese straw. There are so many variations of that super simple appetizer, and this recipe is a slightly elevated option that follows the same delicious logic and will introduce something new to your family and friends this holiday season.

The addition of white bread, used as miniature sandwich slices that are coated with the cheesy mixture, makes this starter stand out amongst the crowd. Whip up a batch of these, along with a bowl full of one of our favorite holiday punches, for a foolproof party lineup. These Cheese Dreams are guaranteed to be one of the best easy appetizer recipes you've ever made.

Cheese Dreams

Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn

Ingredients

  • 2 cups finely grated sharp Cheddar cheese (freshly grated from a block)

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

  • 2 Tbsp. heavy cream

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

  • 1/2 tsp. table salt

  • 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

  • Ground red pepper or hot sauce to taste

  • 1 (16-oz.) pkg. firm white sandwich bread slices (such as Pepperidge Farm White Sandwich Bread)

Directions

  1. Prepare cheese mixture:

    Preheat oven to 375°F. Beat cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Beat in heavy cream and next 5 ingredients.

    cheese mixture for Cheese Dreams

    Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn

  2. Prepare bread squares:

    Cut crusts from white bread slices; cut each bread slice into 4 squares. Spread cheese mixture on half of bread squares (about 1 tsp. per square); top each with 1 remaining square. Spread remaining cheese mixture over top and sides of sandwiches. Place sandwiches, 1 inch apart, on a lightly greased baking sheet.

    unbaked cheese dreams

    Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn

  3. Bake:

    Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

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