With all of three ingredients, these little guys are so easy to make!

Who could resist an adorable collection of edible marching penguins? Bring these little guys to any gathering and watch how they instantly bring out the festivities. From an ugly Christmas sweater party to a black-tie affair, they will always come dressed to impress in their birthday suit tuxedos!

Yield: 16 penguins

Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Olive Penguins

1 cup (6 oz) cream cheese
1 carrot, medium size
16 jumbo-sized black olives, pitted (one 6 oz can usually contains 16 olives)
16 medium-sized black olives, pitted (half of a 6 oz can usually has 16 olives)
16 toothpicks

1) Place the cream cheese into a piping bag (or sturdy ziplock bag with a small, 1/4 inch corner cut off). Seal the opening of the bag with a rubber band and reserve.
2) Slice the carrot into 16, 1/8 inch thick round pieces.
3) Cut out a small, pizza-like slice out of each carrot segment, making a pac man shape. Reserve both the pizza slice shape (this will make a carrot beak) and pac man segment (which will make the carrot feet).
4) To create the penguin heads, first take note of where the face will be by noting that the neck will be at the biggest opening where the pit was removed. To apply the “beak,” make a small horizontal slit in the middle of each olive and push in one side of a pizza sliced shape of carrot. Ensure the carrot is securely in place, yet still sticks out just enough to look like a beak. Reserve.
5) For the penguin body, make one slit from the blossom to stem side of each jumbo-sized olive (as if to form the letter “C”), and squeeze about 1 tbsp. of cream cheese into the widest opening (where the pit was removed). Allow the cheese to ooze out of the slit - this will create the effect of a white tummy for each penguin. Take note that the widest opening where the pit was removed will be where the feet eventually get attached. Reserve.
6) Assemble each individual penguin by stacking, from the bottom up, the carrot feet (with the pac man mouth facing forward), body (with white tummy forward and pit opening facing down), and head (beak forward and pit opening facing down). Secure with a toothpick, ensuring the pointy end of the pick is stuck in the carrot feet. Keep refrigerated until ready to enjoy.

Gifting Idea:

Once assembled, arrange the penguins in rows within an enclosed gift box or tray, ensuring that each one is in close proximity to one another to keep them standing up. Await for squeals of delight as your gift recipient discovers what is inside the container.