Cream Cheese Penguins

Gets folks laughing! Worth the effort. Tips (from me & others): use herbed or ranch flavored whipped cream cheese (it will still look white); don't simply slice the olive, remove a small section to accomodate the filling; pipe whipped cream cheese using a sandwich bag; make "beaks" thin to avoid splitting the "head" while inserting them; try inserting "beaks" vertically rather than horizontally; "heads" take the most time - make them the night before and leave them soaking in the olive brine. Don't forget to make baby penguins! Fill a single olive & set on top of carrot feet with large whole facing up. Insert toothpick through center to pin it to the "feet". Set "beak" into cream cheese filling of large whole - it will hold it in place. Do a variation on this to make "swimming" penguins. Fill a single olive. Stick beak in one end and feet in the other. Shave off a small portion from the underside of the olive to keep it from rolling around. For "environment" we used an aluminum pizza pan and foam board ($1.99)for an ice flow. Trace the pan on the foam board. Cut out the circle with a craft knife. Cut circle in half jaggedly to simulate ice flow. Cut remaining half into pieces; glue and stack in layers to create "hills". Cover pizza pan with blue plastic wrap. Place "ice flow" into the pizza pan. Tape plastic wrap to bottom of the pan to hold it in place. When placing penguins, push the toothpick into the foamboard to hold them in place. Transports easily this way.

These are too adorable!! I added some garlic powder to the cream cheese for a little flavor. Also, I heated the cream cheese briefly (about 20 seconds) in the microwave and then put it in a ziploc bag. By cutting off a small corner of the bag, you can easily squeeze the cream cheese into the olive using the ziploc like a pastry bag!

This is my favorite recipe for the winter holiday season and I make it for each and every party I attend. It definitely takes a little practice to get the penguins assembled correctly, but after about 5, it's a snap. My boyfriend helps me make them and we get an assembly line going. One thing I do to add some flair is to use a basic frosting pump (same thing you would use to fill deviled eggs) to squirt the cream cheese into the olives. This creates a "ruffled tuxedo" effect down the penguin's front. These are always a hit and each penguin will have its own personality! People can never get enough of these. You can also make an "igloo" to sit next to the penguins out of cream cheese. Use a toothpick to draw the ice bricks.

Stuffed olives with cream cheese has always been a favorite of mine but I would never have thought to shape them like a penguin. CUTE! I like to use the "onion & chives" flavored cream cheese. It gives an added flavor. To easily get the cream cheese into the olives, I use a pastry bag with a #12 tip. I'll now need to buy a smaller tip to fill the smaller olives. Great recipe!

I made these darlings for my sister's wedding shower, and they were a smash hit! We arranged them in rows and they looked like an adorable little army! One suggestion would be to add dry ranch mix to the cream cheese to add a little flavor. Great party appetizer!

One quick suggestion for an easier scarf. Use a potato peeler and peel thin strips of carrot. Wraps easier and coordinates with the feet and beak!

These are hilarious! My friends and I made them for a "girls" night, and giggled all the way through. So fun! I found that putting a little cream cheese on the carrot bottom (feet) made the body stick better. And the thicker the slices, the more they stand up on their own. Not too thick though, because you don't want an overwhelming carrot flavor. .

My 14 yr old daughter and I made these last Christmas. They were a BIG hit - they look adorable. We made a cheese-ball igloo out of cream cheese and put everything on a platter with crackers.

So adorable, they were a hit with my guests! A little bit time consuming but their small, waddling army made me laugh all day. I used flavored cream cheese to make them tastier. Thanks!

I made these for a Christmas function at work and everyone loved them. enfuse the cream cheese with herbs and spices before filling olivs makes them even more yummy. I built an igloo with different types of cheese cubes. They are very easy.

These do take time, but they are so fun to make! I used a vegetable peeler to thinly slice an already peeled cucumber, and then cut the slice into narrow strips to form the scarf. The strips were long enough to tie a loose not, slip it over the penguins head, and then pull it tight enough for it to be secure.

I made these at christmas time and everyone thought they were just too cute. So now they have been planned for the Super Bowl Party with a few changes. I made a practice batch just to make sure they would turn out perfect before the big game In honor of both teams I made a double batch just as written and added a small slice of yellow bell pepper down the front of the cream cheese to represent the Steelers and then used green olives with mozzerella/ string cheese for the Packers. My man and my kids laughed so hard. We placed them on a large cardboard piece , covered with a light coating of cream cheese and covered that with dried parsely to represent the field and used canned cheese to make the hash marks LOVE this recipe.Thanks Valerie

This is always a hit at every winter event that I take it to. Over the years I've fine-tuned the prep time by taking advantage of other reviewers . . . but the best thing that I do is that I make a cheese ball from a favorite recipe (or you can even purchase a cheese ball); and then I 'frost' it with softened cream cheese and take a toothpick to carve lines in it resembling blocks of snow so it looks like an igloo. Then I make a 'door' by scraping off the cream cheese in the form of an upside down U - thus exposing the cheese ball. I arrange the penguins around the igloo and place them all on a shiney metal serving tray to look like ice. This is a darling center piece. Make sure to serve crackers along side.

A little time consuming but very fun. I still have one in the deep freezer that i talk to when I go in.

Adorable. Adding my 3 tips to the 500 remarks already posted. 1. Insert the tooth pick into the carrot feet, then slide the filled olives on. Sturdier. 2. Fill small olive before trying to insert beak. Less likely to break. 3. To store or transport, use disposable mini muffin pans and stand them up in there. They stay put.

Like everybody says, it's a really big hit. Here's a way to TRANSPORT the penguins. I lined them up in a flat tupperware container low enough so the toothpicks were above the rim. I stretched a piece of cellophane over the top and poked the toothpick tops through, then rubber banded the cellophane around the container. This kept the penguins from tipping. I assembeled the "scene" using blue cellophane covered paper as water, shredded mozzarella for snow and sliced mozzarela for icebergs. Upon arrival, I set up the penguins.

These are awesome! The hardest part is just picking through the olives for uniform appearance! I bought 2 sizes of olives (medium & large) but they ended up still looking the same size so I would suggest buying, say, small & large or medium & jumbo to save some work. Also use whipped cream cheese and pipe it from a ziplock bag with the corner snipped - it makes filling them a lot easier! Thanx for posting - they were a big hit with the guests!

Very fun appetizer. They were a bit difficult to put together at first but once we got the hang of it they went very smoothly. One note on the triangle noses is to put the small end in first. We tried inserting the big end first for pointed noses but the other way is easier and looks better too!

Yes, they are a bit time consuming, but I don't mind the extra effort for a special occassion. However, I have discovered that it is impossible to make too many of these little guys!! The whipped cream cheese (vs the typical block) is very easy to work with for the filling, I recommend it.

I personally don't like olives, but these are a HUGE hit at every party I bring them to. A neighbor's mom even brought one home for a friend who loves penguins! Well worth the time involved. I add taco seasoning or italian dressing seasoning to the cream cheese for flavor or for a theme party. These are great and I really appreciate the recipe!!!!!!!

I have been making these for 5 yrs & am amazed at the reactions I get. I make a shrimp tree & place the penguins around the bottom..this is my most requested thing to bring....Yes, they are time consuming, but I have finally got it down.... Had some friends over & I showed them how to do it...I use a 16" disposable decorating bag without a tip, just cut the plastic to a comfortable size that works for you... Buy 1 can small olives & 1 can JUMBO...have everything at room temp,( I have mixed the cream cheese with ranch - for variety) I like to have a thick carrot base -about 1/2" ,after cutting out the pie shaped beak, I make that thinner, outerwise it will split the small olive head... Just put the softened cream cheese in the bag & pipe it into the body, add the head, put the toothpick thru both olives & press into the feet,,,you are done...people are so impressed & this is always a Hit!!!!

We had too much fun making these. But I have a trick with the heads...I inserted the carrot piece threw the big whole that points to the back...and with a toothpick pushed the carrot piece gently through the already cross tipped whole for the beak...And I used the Chive and Onion Whipped cream cheese that I had on had...talk about cute, adorable and a conversation piece. Thank you...all my penguins thank you too. ;-)

These are just too cute. They were the hit of the party. Everyone loved them. I made an igloo out of a cheeseball topped with cream cheese. I scored the cream cheese with a knife to make the illusion of ice blocks. I formed a little cream cheese as the opening of the igloo. Much easier to make if you have a helper!! Thanks for such a unique recipe.

Fun to make these little guys, albeit time consuming (whole thing took about 2-1/2 hours). To make them tastier, I used 1 package of cream cheese, 3 ounces of very finely crumbled feta cheese and ~ 1/4 of a white onion (finely minced) with garlic powder and Beau Monde (spice blend). The feta and onions have to be very small pieces in order for them to fit through a large bore piping tip. I made an igloo out of a cheese ball (any kind you like) covered with the remaining cream cheese and feta mixture. I also insert a wooden skewer with a construction paper flag with the name of our club through the center of the igloo. I made a water scene using sparkly blue wrapping paper and used veggie cut-out of fish (or you can use Goldfish™ crackers). It was a huge hit!

THANK YOU for sharing this great idea! We had an Iron Chef contest at work & the appetizer had to have olives in it-I won 1st place a $50 gift card! I added dry ranch to the cream cheese for the tummies and because it was "diversity week" at work, printed out tiny flags froms different countries and glue-sticked onto the toothpicks. I added roasted red pepper scarves as well. Made an 'igloo' out of cream cheese and chopped up black and greene olives and added green olive juice 'to taste' until I had a dirty martini flavor.. Put saran in a round bowl and plopper in the mixture to make the igloo size. next morning popped it out and covered with a thin layer of whipped cream cheese and made 'igloo cubes" with a tooth pick...made the entrance by taking 1/4 of a block of cream cheese and folding it into an arch. SUCH A HIT! Serve the dirty 'martini dip" on butter crackers. Thanks again for a great recipe!

I have never really tried to do anything half way creative for a party. Going to the corner store and picking up something to bring is the usual for me. I'm not that artistic. So when my mother laughed at me for wanting to try this recipe and stuff little black olives. I had to prove to her I could do it. To my surprise it wasn't hard at all. Time was the biggest factor. I had 25 done within a half hour. Keep a clean wet towel by when stuffing the olives because the cream cheese does get a little runny. Everyone loved these at the party and could beleive I was the one who made them. They were a BIG hit.

These deserve a 5 for presentation but lacks a little in flavor. I added some ranch mix to cream cheese to spice it up a bit. I used jumbo for bottom, medium for top and it was perfect but large. I may try large/small next time. I also put little banana pepper dabs to look like a tie instead of a scarf.

Fun! Made these for my sons preschool class, what a hit! Use a larger carrot for the base so they don't fall over. My husband called those that fell over a "dead soldier" and gobbled them up. Used chive and onion flavored cream cheese and piped in with a sandwich baggie per other reviews, worked well.

These were a hit last Saturday at a theatre party. I know some people on here say that they don't taste good and all that, but all the guests loved them and I tried one too and they were great. You can't do a whole bunch with olives and cream cheese, but I used chive cream cheese and served buttery crackers on a plate next to them and they are really good with the crackers because it gives it an added taste. I also used a jar of marinated red bell peppers for a scarf on some. They do take some time to make---I made about sixteen and it took about 45 min, mainly because of the carrots (I broke a few olives trying to get the beak in--but I got to eat them:) but found overall that they are fairly easy to make, don't cost much to make and are easily the cutest thing you can make. I highly recommend you try it out. I think you'll find that by putting in your favorite cream cheese or adding spices to regular and serving up some crackers and some red bell peppers or pimentos or something, these are very very good.

It's worth the work just for all the great responses it gets. I used rondele cheese instead of cream cheese. It was very easy to pipe in with a ziploc bag. I also made a cheese ball into an igloo and "frosted" it with a sour cream/cream cheese mix.

So cute!!! These were a big hit at a Christmas party and my nephew's graduation party. They aren't hard to do, just take some time. I found it easiest to do all of one step at a time, cut all the large olives first, then fill them with cream cheese, etc. I used roasted red bell pepper for scarves and a parsley sprig for a green hat. My mom used a square piece of green onion for a mortarboard hat for the graduation party. Cute, cute, cute. Even my husband said, "Take a picture of it!" And they taste pretty good too!

kids love em...USE HAM SLICES FOR A SCARF

These were so much fun at the New Year's Party last night! People actually gathered around it and took pictures of them. I had a piece of celery that acted as a teeter totter on a large dried marshmellow under the center. I made a mini sign that said "Happy New Year!", held on a toothpick and put in on the penquin that was in the air of the teeter totter. Added pieces of brocoli that served as bushes on the platter. wholla! A great presentation that was so much fun for the kids as the adults!

I made these for Thanksgiving at my sisters and these little guys turned out great! It is a bit time consuming, but worth it as everyone will love them. I did make an "igloo" cheese ball to go with them made out of white cheddar and it was adorable. Thanks for a great recipe!

I give this recipe 5 stars for presentation and what fun they were to make and all the guests LOVED them! There were the hit of the brial shower. But I give them 3.5 in taste. They are time consuming to make, I made them with 2 other people, so it was not too bad. Once you get your rythm going, its easy. I also made a cheese ball igloo, covered it in whipped cream cheese, and used a toothpick to make the lines of the igloo. I also made a little flag and taped it to a toothpick that said the "Bride and Grooms last names" House. It was great!!! Good Luck!

I helped a friend of mine with these for a graduation party. It did take a while, but they did look good. I am not a fan of black olives, so I didn't even try them. Everyone else had a comment about how cute they were. I did hear some people say that there wasn't much taste though. These are fun to make with friends...I don't suggest you do this by yourself...othewise you will make yourself go crazy. It was fun to make. Thanks for posting.

They turned out looking really cute, but that was about all they were good for. They were not very tasty.

Brought these little guys to Christmas carry in for work. Everybody loved them, they are still talking about them. I used a cookie sheet with stryofoam covered in plastic wrap, made the night before and they didn't dry up (which I was worried about). Also made a christmas tree cheesball and surrounded it with the little guys. To make the cheesball I shaped ball like a tree, then rolled in finely diced fresh parsley. Then decorated the tree with pieces of red & green peppers (which I had on hand for the scarves). And cut a Star for the tree out of a slice of carrot. What a fun recipe! Made everyone smile!

I used the small olive holes to insert the carrot wedges. I also used veggie cream cheese instead of plain. To hold them in place for transport I suggest using a clean, disposible pan "frosted" with plain cream cheese to create a winter wonderland. Just stick the carrot feet in and go, plus it looks great.

I broke a lot of olives when I tried to push the toothpick through the carrot. The carrot also made for an odd texture combination in the mouth. Next time I will try using pieces of cheddar cheese instead.

I've had these before and no matter what kind of effort they require, you can't give anything less than 5 stars to something so adorable! And while the flavor is nothing spectacular, that's not really the point- these are a real crowd pleaser!! And as the photos will show, the possibilities are endless!

Truly adorable little penguins AND delicious!! I've made these twice now and everyone I have shown them to loved them as well and also asked for the recipe (that's how you know it's good :]). The first time I accidentally got all my olives the same size, but this didn't really matter. I've tried using regular cream cheese as well as a chive/garlic flavored whipped cream cheese. The whipped one was definitely easier to work with (it's already soft) and it tasted good, but it didn't have as much flavor as regular cream cheese. Next time I'll try adding some herbs and such to the regular cream cheese. These were a bit time-consuming to make at first, but after the first few penguins you'll get the hang of it and go faster. For more useful tips, everyone has already mentioned them, so just look through the top comments :]!

The first time I made these were to have something cheerful at Christmas for my beautiful step-mom that was losing her battle with cancer. I can't even put to words to reaction the penguins got. They each have their own personality. I use the furry top toothpicks and put on a white plate covered with coconut to simulate snow. I am not a big olive fan, so have never consumed one in the five years I've been making them, but they always seem to disappear. I made them last Saturday and one guest took two home to her kids. They are so cute!

These were so cute! The whole fam got involved making these and we all had a blast. We are having them for New Year's Eve. I don't understand the reviewers who gave less stars because it was time-consuming or difficult. That's just common sense from looking at the recipe. I knew just from the recipe that it would be very time-consuming. I will make these again for special occasions!

I gave this 5 stars because they were so fun for me & my 11 yr. old daughter to make. I added just a bit of garlic powder to the cream cheese & used a baggie with the corner cut off to "pipe" in the cream cheese. Are they the best tasting appetizer...no, but they are SOOOO cute!

I made these once years ago. They were the HIT of the party! Just be prepared to spend TIME making these little cuties! I suggest making them the day before.

This is a terrific recipe and very creative! A real attention getter. 2 TIPS for you this time: Add 1 envelope of Knorr Leek Soup Mix to a tub of cream cheese for unbelievably awsome flavor(every one of our guests raved). We set them on a platter of crushed ice and a bowl of spinach dip in the middle. Second, use a plastic zip-lock sandwich bag filled with the cream cheese with a tiny snip in one corner to 'pipe' the cheese into the olives. MUCH EASIER than a spoon!!! You will be able to knock them out in seconds! Hats off to you Valerie Lynne!

I used this one at Christmas (huge hit) and I'm thinking of coming up with either a green olive Green Bay Packer or a regular penguin as used in this recipe with a green pepper scarf (Green Bay Fan).

This was a big hit! I stuck the beaks in pointy side first because I thought the flat beaks were easier and more comical. If you are going to use a baggie to pipe out the cream cheese USE A FREEZER BAGGIE! My cheapie bag kept tearing and squirting out cream cheese in all directions!~ Also, I bought a white styrofoam cooler(The $2.45 kind), flipped the lid, and just stabbed the penguins into what ended up looking like a large glacier. Not even one of my penguins fell over during transport!

I made these for my daughters baptism and they were a huge hit! People were taking pictures of them! I suggest making the carrot feed a little bigger than the recipe calls for to give them a stronger base and keep them from toppling over... you can simply make the notch in the feet bigger to bring them back into proportion visually. They are time consuming, but worth the effort. I made the scarves, and found it easier to make the red pepper slices extremely thin and very long so you can pin them on the toothpick before you put the "heads" on the penguins to keep the scarves from falling off. And don't let the cream cheese get be too warm before you start because it becomes gooey quickly as you stuff the olives and makes it harder to manage.

Extra cute, and good even if it's not Christmastime. I made these for our staff appreciation luncheon and placed them on a blue saran wrap covered metal platter (so it looked like ice) with a paper that said "Our teachers are the COOLEST in town!" Also added some garlic powder as suggested in other reviews. Definitely a good attention grabber!

Super cute and fun to make. Be sure to use jumbo olives because Lindsay large and medium are the same size. I put them on a silver-colored platter with a cheeseball igloo and they were the highlight of the table. I piped them full of Rondelle with a ziploc bag with a corner cut off. Pretty easy once you get going. Enjoy!

I made these for an informal wedding I was catering. I just couldn't resist trying it, and didn't want to wait until next winter to use it. I had to keep making them, because people who saw them beforehand just had to try them. I used a star tip on my pastry bag to fill these and worked great. Time consuming...but be patient they are worth it. Also, make them about 2 hours before serving, then chill. The carrots dry up fast. Too cute and loved by all!

I made this for a New Year's Eve gathering. They were the hit of the night. I added a packet of ranch dressing dip mix to the cream cheese for flavor and to enhance the color. I sautéed the strips of red bell pepper in olive oil and water while I continued my prep of the olives. I know a lot of folks like meat with their snacks, so I cut up a salami to make their feet. When I ran out of that, I used carrots as the recipe suggests. I did try to create an igloo out of the cheese ball but it was so soft I couldn't do it. But everyone was so in love with the penguins they didn't really want the cheese ball anyway. I will definitely be making these again. It was a process but as long as you have everything prepped before you begin it is much simpler to get things going like an assembly line. These are definitely worth the effort.

My husband and I recently hosted the rehearsal dinner for our son's wedding. I did all the decorting and cooking for 40+ people, and wanted some of the dishes I prepared to be a little unique or eye-catching. When I found this recipe for the olive cream cheese penguins, I knew I had found just what I was looking for! These little penguins were the hit of our dinner! I made several batches of penguins, and all of them found their way either into our guests tummies, or to our guests' homes. Several people took penguins home with them so they could learn to make them, too, and share the idea with their friends and relatives. I found another recipe (on the internet) for these penguins with a "seasoned" cream cheese mixture, and will try it the next time I make them. Thanks for a GREAT idea. It was a huge success!

I made these last year for our neighborhood progressive Christmas dinner. We were in charge of appetizers. They were adorable as they surrounded the tray of shrimp cocktail. They were time consuming to make. The presentation was worth the effort. I used a pastry bag to fill the large olive with cream cheese.

Even though it takes some time and effort it was a big hit at my party that people still talk about!

These are so cute!! My guests just LOVE them. Put's a unique twist to the party.

These are the cutest things. I made them for a cocktail party last weekend, and I'm still getting emails raving about them. One guy took one home. Rather than whipping the cream cheese, I microwaved it and tstirred in a bit of onion soup mix to give it some flavour, and then piped it in using a parchment paper cone. I have to admit, they weren't that tasty, but the visual presentation made up for it big time. I put it on a frosty blue tray covered in saran wrap, and added a cheese ball igloo. Make sure you warn people about the toothpick (sometimes it's not that visible) My only problem is.. how am I going to top this recipe for my next cocktail party?!?

These penguin appetizers were THE HIT of my club's Christmas party - they were almost too cute to eat!

These were quite a hit at a party I went to, but the little critters kept falling down. I like the review that suggested a foam base with the toothpicks sticking into the foam. I will try that next time.

I have done these 2 years in a row BIG HIT !!!!!!!! kids love to help make them !

First made these with my mom years ago, only we had a different recipe which included a cheeseball igloo.... amazing!

This was the best. We used them for our Winter Ball at church. The only suggestion I have is that you fill them and make the heads, then assemble them AFTER you get to your destination. They don't travel well. Cut the carrots a little thicker. We also added a small amount of sour cream so we could use a pastery bag to pipe the filling into the tummies. This was probably the best of the best that I have used in entertaining. AT HOME: we aren't quite as elaborate. We slice the olives, laya slivered carrot in the middle--then pipe the filling in. We don't like pemintos, so the carrot as a little texture and color. Yummy!!

These penguins were GREAT! I'm only giving it a 4 because they are so labor-intensive. We made these as an appetizer for our Christmas dinner, and they were just too cute! We used garlic and herb whipped cream cheese and a cookie press to get it in the olives. It definitely took two people to pipe the cream cheese in, but I did the rest of the assembly by myself. We covered a plate in foil, then blue saran wrap to look like ice, and served it with a cheese ball (Cheese Ball I recipe on this website) shaped like an igloo.

I've made these several times - terrific recipe, and worth the effort. Seasoned cream cheese is a great idea! I use baby carrot slices to create the noses - helps create pieces that are small enough not to split the "head olives."

Great crowd pleaser! Everyone thought they were so cute! They were more work than I anticipated, but worth it! I did pipe the cream cheese to give them a ruffled shirt look. As another reviewer mentioned, I did overhear I comment that I must have had a lot of time on my hands to do these! Well, I did! I made these about a year ago and people still talk about them. Thanks!

So adorable! I used garden veggie flavored cream cheese. Be sure to cut the carrots very thin, otherwise it can be difficult to delicately stick the toothpick through. For presentation I set up a whole 'winter scene' with styrofoam and plastic wrap, then stuck it to a piece of cardboard painted blue and shaped to fit in my cake carrier. Half were gone before I even made it in the door of the party I brought them to!

These little cuties were a hit - I even had people taking pictures of them. LOL

These were a hit! Didn't take long and added Hidden Valley to the cream cheese.

I am so excited I found this! I forgot about these! My mom and I made them for Christmas eve one year, no one wanted to eat them cuz they were too cute! My mom also made an igloo shaped cheese ball to go with them, cutest snack EVER! Like other reviewers, we went with whipped cream cheese, much easier to fill :) I can't wait to make them again for my kids :)

These were a big hit at Thanksgiving. Easy to make and a fun family activity. I used a chive flavored cream cheese which was fine but I wished I had gone with a stronger tasting cheese. Next time I will use ranch flavored. Thank you!

Very cute! Very fun! Unfortunately, very time consuming...but the praise and compliments I received were worth the time and effort.

I do not like olives. (To me, they smell like wet baby diapers! :) But to my guests they were so wonderful! Everyone loved love them! Thank you so much!

My grandkids love these. Made them last Christmas and they were a big hit. I have since changed the feet to chedder cheese instead of carrots. Easy to cut and sticks to olive and plate better. Thanks for the great idea.

This recipe was a huge hit at the cookie swap. The only downside is that ladies didn't want to eat them - they were too cute! I bought "large olives" which I used for both the body and head. With the cream cheese filling, the bodies were plenty big enough than the head. Also, I did read some folks had challenges with getting the "beak" into the small olives. I think it was easier working with the large olives. The whole, regular carrots are a must as the "feet" slices have be big enough to keep the penguins from tipping. Many of these little guys went home in a napkin blanket. Great healthy snack for kids who love olives...or for a fun, impressive winter party app!

These were great for a winter party! Big hit. Even the folks who didn't like olives thought they were so cool!

I made these little fellows for a cocktail party - they brought giggles from the guests and everyone wanted the recipe. They're quite easy to make, the cream cheese will hold together any 'errors'. I used baby carrots and they worked out fine. Definitely give this fun recipe a try.

I flavored the cream cheese just to spice it up, but everyone loved the look :)

This recipe was the "hit" of our party.

I made these for a Christmas party and they were very cute. So cute, that people said they didn't want to eat them! I used veggie cream cheese which added a little more flavor. These are definitely time consuming, but if you use a frosting bag for the cream cheese, it helps you make them faster.

totally cute! made these for my niece's b-day party... They were a hit. They do not taste that great, but so cute it didn't matter.

I had so much fun making these. I did add various spices (garlic powder, salt, pepper, italian seasoning) into the cream cheese. I also put the cream cheese inside a plastic ziploc bag with a corner cut off to get the cheese inside the "bodies." Everyone loved them and thought they were so neat!

Worth the time and effort for the comments and pictures. I made the heads and landscape the night before. Couldn't find blue plastic wrap so I used a platter covered with blue wrapping paper covered with plastic wrap for the water effect. Will yse a pizza pan next time A couple of packages of cream cheese flavored with garlic powder for the landscape. I also used marinated mushrooms for some rocks on the shoreline. I found a cheap SMALL pastry bag (cookie decorating)for filling the bodies and it really made a difference on ease.

VERY time consuming. Although using a piping bag to fill the olives cuts down on a lot of time. I also add 1/2 pkg. of original ranch dip mix into the cream cheese. Ties everything together so they are not so bland. I added a "triangle" of red pepper to the top of the head too to make it look like a little santa hat! HUGE hit at our Holiday party, will probably make again next year!

I'm giving these five stars because of the cuteness factor. They are time consuming and my husband thought I had too much time on my hands. However, my guests loved them. I can't stand olives, but had to make them for conversation if nothing else. Next time I'll prepare some type of iceberg to put them on for real effect.

Received many compliments on this appetizer! It was very time consuming but worth it!

Went together faster than I expected and were really easy. Cute little addition to the menu. Thanks Valerie!

Talk about being a hit a the party! More photos were taken of this dish than of people there. I filled the little guys with Boursin Cheese - very tasty. The biggest tip I can give is, read the other reviews, I think it saved me a lot of time in the end.

These are adorable and easy. They're also time consuming, but pleasantly so. Two hints for success: 1) Add half a pack of ranch seasoning and a minced clove of garlic to give the filling flavor 2) Do yourself a favor - use a piping bag (or a ziplock with the corner clipped off). It makes things go much faster and cleaner.

Made these for my son's first birthday open house and they were a smash! Some guests didn't want to each them because they were so cute and obviously take a little work. I used a pastry bag to pipe the cream cheese (I whipped it, first) into the olives as another review suggested. MUCH easier than trying to stuff them with a utensil, which I tried on a test run. My daughter, a black olive afficianado, couldn't keep her mitts off of these as I made them! Sent the instructions home with several guests and will use these again at Christmas time for our family gathering.

What an adorable idea. I took a plate full of these to a party and got rave reviews. Even the men were making over them. Only change I made was to make the beak out of a thinner slice of carrot. The thick wedge taken out of the foot piece was too much to put in the small olive without splitting it. People's reaction is well worth the effort.

I made these for a Christmas party. I got so many compliments, I couldn't believe it! People couldn't stop eating them, and some people even took one home in their hands so they could figure out how to do it at home! VERY CUTE!

I have a friend who collects penguins!!! Just imagine his face on new years eve when I made these! He not only thought they were the cutest thing ever , but they taste good too!!

I made these for our Christmas food day at work and they were such a hit! I was so surprised at how easy they were. Everyone thought I spent hours putting them together! You must give this a try!

Very cute and yummy! Using a flavored cream cheese definitely made a difference!

Wow! This was so much fun to put together. I thought it would take longer to do but it was surprisingly quick. I found that the "bodies" stood up much better when I sliced a tiny bit off the bottom of the olive so it was completely flat against the carrot feet. I bought a cheese ball since time was tight and frosted it with whipped cream cheese to make the igloo. Next time I won't use the whipped kind since it was hard to draw lines through it. I covered a pizza pan with tin foil, lay a piece of blue construction paper over top and then covered it again with saran so the "water" would look icy. Then I covered the base with slabs of cream cheese and they made a great bank of snow against the water. I also used a piece of styrofoam which was in a box with an appliance and I roughed up the surface so it resembled a snowy hill and I stood 2 penguins on the ledges. The penguins stood in place well since they were set into the cream cheese. The whole thing turned out well and it was pretty tasty since I followed others' advice and used a flavoured cream cheese instead of plain. Thanks so much for this recipe and for all the photos I used as a guide. I'll definitely be making this again!

Very cute! My kids loved them. It does take awhile to make them, but it was worth it.

It is time consuming, but worth the effort! Guests love these little guys! I also used a slight amount of ranch dip powder in the cream cheese to give it a little bit more flavour. Not too much though to avoid the salty taste. I made them last Christmas for a Christmas party but just forgot to review. Thanks so much for the great idea!