New Years Clock Countdown (Printable)

A festive arrangement of crackers, olives, and cheese cubes styled as a clock for holiday gatherings.

# Ingredient list:

→ Crackers and Breadsticks

01 - 24 round crackers
02 - 8 breadsticks (optional)

→ Cheeses

03 - 7 oz cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
04 - 7 oz Swiss cheese, cut into small cubes

→ Olives and Garnishes

05 - 24 pitted black olives
06 - 24 pitted green olives
07 - 2 cherry tomatoes
08 - Fresh parsley or rosemary sprigs (optional)

→ Extras

09 - 1 small round wooden or ceramic serving board, about 12 inches in diameter (optional)

# Cooking steps:

01 - Place the round crackers evenly in a circle around the edge of the serving board to represent clock numbers, with 12 at the top and 6 at the bottom.
02 - Alternately place one black olive and one green olive on top of each cracker to mimic clock numbers.
03 - Position cherry tomatoes in the center of the board to represent the clock's center point.
04 - Using toothpicks, skewer cubes of cheddar and Swiss cheese, then arrange them as clock hands pointing to midnight.
05 - Add breadsticks or additional garnishes as desired, filling any gaps with parsley or rosemary sprigs.
06 - Serve immediately and invite guests to snack while counting down to midnight.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • It's a show-stopper that takes only 20 minutes to assemble—your guests will think you spent hours on it, but you and I both know the truth
  • The beauty of it is that it's playful and interactive; people naturally reach for the cheese and olives as they chat, making it the perfect conversation starter
  • There's something genuinely special about having an edible clock ticking down alongside the real one—it transforms ordinary snacking into an event
02 -
  • Pitted olives are non-negotiable. This is learned from experience and the memory of an unpitted olive disaster at a dinner party that still makes me cringe.
  • The cheese cubes need to be roughly the same size so they look intentional and professional—uneven sizes make the whole thing look sloppy, which breaks the spell of your clever creation.
  • The round board is everything. A square platter completely changes the vibe and makes it harder to read as a clock face. Don't skip this detail.
03 -
  • Have your clock hands positioned with the toothpicks going straight down into the cherry tomatoes in the center—this keeps them from sliding or tilting as the platter sits out
  • If you're worried about the toothpicks being visible, you can actually hide them partially by positioning them so they rest against the sides of the cherry tomatoes, making them less obvious while keeping the cheese cubes elevated and centered
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