Name: Butterfly-Shaped Tea Sandwiches
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 medium cucumber; 1 cup water; 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar; 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened; 1/4 cup mayonnaise (I always use Duke); 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 1/4 teaspoon onion powder; 24 thin slices of bread; 12 pimento-stuffed olives

Butterfly-Shaped Tea Sandwiches are perfect to make for spring and summer. I make these open-faced sandwiches for tea parties and luncheons.

I’m crazy about butterflies. I purposely plant flowers in my garden to attract them. And to celebrate spring and/or summer, I prepared a tray of tea sandwiches.

A tea sandwich is a dainty sandwich originally meant to be eaten at afternoon teatime to stave off hunger until the main meal. They are perfect for garden parties, bridal, and baby showers. I actually had a couple (or more) for lunch today.

I decided to make these sandwiches when I was going through my cookie cutter collection looking for a flower-shaped cutter. I’m so glad I found the butterfly first.

I’ve been collecting cookie cutters for years. I rarely use them to make cookies but they are wonderful when it comes to making tea sandwiches.

Ingredients For Butterfly Shaped Tea Sandwiches

cucumber
1 cup water
1/2 cup cider vinegar (the water and vinegar are used to make a quick pickling juice for the cucumber)
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese (feel free to use low-fat)
mayonnaise (I always use Duke)
garlic powder
onion powder
Worcestershire sauce
thin bread slices
Pimento stuffed green olives

How to Make Butterfly-Shaped Tea Sandwiches

The first step is soaking the cucumber slices in the vinegar/water mixture for 30 minutes. You’re basically quick pickling the veggies. The pickled cucumber adds a crispy zip to the cream cheese mixture.

Cut butterfly shapes with a cookie cutter. Spread with cream cheese mixture and add pickled cucumbers and olives. These open-faced sandwiches are so good and easy to make.

More Ideas for Pretty Cookie Cutter Sandwich

On patriotic holidays I like to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the kids just in case they are in the mood to eat what the grownups are having. I make the sandwiches like I normally do. Then I use a star cookie cutter to cut out a star in the top slice of bread.

The whole sandwiches are pretty and I don’t let the stars go to waste. I make tiny peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the stars.

You can use an animal cookie cutter to take a grilled cheese sandwich to the next level. Kids love animal-shaped sandwiches!

How about a teddy bear-shaped sandwich? You only need a round cookie cutter, a drinking glass or clean tuna can to cut the bread out.

Make a peanut butter sandwich. Add sliced bananas for the ears. Cut out a bowtie-shaped apple slice, and add raisins for the eyes. Add Nutella, another banana slice, and another raisin to complete the look.

Fish-shaped sandwiches are cute too. You’ll need blueberries, strawberries, and a slightly sweetened cream cheese mixture. Mix one 8 oz. package cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar and teaspoon vanilla. Mix until well combined.

Yield: 24