Dainty, Delicious Tea Sandwiches

They’re dainty, delicate and delicious, and they’re the center attraction at any tea party.  Tea sandwiches are the perfect finger food for teas, luncheons, showers, and any party where a touch of class is called for.

Tea sandwiches are as much fun to make as they are to serve and eat. Get out your cookie cutters! With a simple “stamp” of a shaped cookie cutter, you can turn an ordinary sandwich into an attractive menu item for tea.

For a Christmas tea, use angel, bell and other holiday shaped cookie cutters.  For a tea in February, use heart shaped cookie cutters. For Easter time, bunny shapes, oval egg shapes and butterflies are festive and springy.

Fillings for tea sandwiches can be traditional ham and cheese, egg salad, or more creative, exotic spreads and toppings.  Use your imagination and don’t be afraid to mix sweet and savory. Top a Benedictine sandwich with a strawberry half, or set a kiwi slice on top of a cheese spread sandwich.

Tea Sandwich Tips

For easier and cleaner cutting, use frozen bread when assembling tea sandwiches.

Most tea sandwiches can be made in advance and wrapped or placed in airtight containers and refrigerated until you’re ready to serve them.

For attractive open-faced sandwiches, pipe on filling with a cake decorator’s frosting bag and tip. If you don’t have one, cut a small hole in the corner of a strong, plastic bag, fill with filling and squeeze it onto the bread.

Use different types of bread for contrast and pretty tea sandwiches. Mix and match types of breads – white on the bottom, honey oat on the top; or rye on top and pumpernickel on the bottom. Look for colored bread in pastel shades, available in some bakeries, for an extra touch of color and contrast to your menu.

Serve tea sandwiches on pretty plates with doilies and arrange them together with different kinds. Use edible flowers such as nasturtium as garnish.

Tea Sandwich Recipes and Ideas

Apple Cinnamon Spread on Raisin Bread

• 16 ounces cream cheese
• ½ cup raisins
• ¼ cup orange marmalade
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 apple, finely chopped
• Raisin bread

Combine all ingredients, except raisin bread. Stir until mixed. Spread mixture on raisin bread. Top with another slice of raisin bread. Cut into your favorite shape.


Open-Faced Honey Ham and White Bean Spread Sandwiches

• ½ pound baked honey ham
• 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons honey mustard
• ½ teaspoon red pepper sauce
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Put ham into a food processor and pulse to chop finely. Add beans, mustard, pepper sauce, garlic, pepper and chives. Spread or pipe onto wheat bread that has been cut into shapes and garnish with a fresh chive length.


Goat Cheese and Asparagus Tea Sandwiches

Combine rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper with goat cheese and mix well. Using a cake decorating bag and flower tip, pipe cheese mixture onto white bread that’s been cut into shapes. Top with a fresh asparagus tip.


Traditional Cucumber Sandwiches

• Thinly sliced bread, from a Pullman loaf
• 1 cucumber
• Butter, softened

With a fork, score the sides of the cucumber for a striped effect. Slice the cucumber as thinly as you can. Lay on paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt and lemon juice. Lightly butter each slice of bread right up to the edges. Dab the moisture off of the cucumber slices and place them on bread slices; top with another bread slice. Cut the crusts cleanly off and cut the sandwiches into four triangles.


Olive Nut Spread on Pumpernickel

• 6 ounces cream cheese
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons liquid from jar of green olives
• Dash of ground pepper
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup chopped green olives

Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise in a medium bowl and mix well. Add liquid from the olives, ground pepper. Mix. Fold in pecans and olives. Spread on thinly sliced pumpernickel bread, top with another slice of bread and press. Cut into shapes or cut off crusts and in half for rectangle sandwiches.


Ham and Cheese Tea Sandwiches

• ¼ cup grainy Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
• Rye bread
• 6 ounces thinly sliced ham
• 3 ounces thinly sliced havarti cheese

Mix together mustard and orange marmalade. Spread on bread slices. Layer ham and havarti cheese on bread and top with another slice of bread. Cut off crusts or cut into shapes.


Double-Filled Tea Sandwiches

• 12 slices white bread
• 6 slices pumpernickel bread
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 8 ounces American cheese
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 4 tablespoons sweet pickle juice
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• 1 cup dried apricots
• ½ cup sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese

Make cheese filling by mixing cheddar, American cheese, mayonnaise, pickle juice and cayenne in a food processor until blended, but still slightly lumpy. Make apricot filling by cooking dried apricots in 2 cups water in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add sugar and cook until apricots begin to dissolve. Allow to cool and remove apricots with a slotted spoon.  Mix apricots with cream cheese and blend well. To assemble double-filled sandwiches, spread cheese filling on 6 slices of white bread. Top each with a slice of pumpernickel bread. Spread apricot filling on pumpernickel bread, and top with second piece of white bread. Cut off crusts, and cut into four squares or three long rectangle sandwiches.

More Tea Sandwich Recipes

For the best tea sandwich recipes on the Web:

Bon Apetit - Goat Cheese and Watercress Tea Sandwiches

What’s Cooking America - Carrot Raisin Tea Sandwiches

Southern Living  - Asparagus Rollups

Oprah.com - Bacon and Egg Tea Sandwiches