Variations & Tips
If you like a little more tang, you can swap half of the cream cheese for full-fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, though the mixture will be a bit softer. For a touch of onion flavor, stir a pinch of onion powder into the cream cheese along with the paprika, still keeping the ingredient list short and simple. You can also cut the cucumber on a slight diagonal for a larger surface and a prettier look on a buffet table. If your cucumbers are from the garden and the skins are thick, peel alternating strips so you keep some green for color but make the bites easier to chew. To keep things truly ready-for-company, I like to soften the cream cheese ahead of time and store a small jar of paprika right beside it in the pantry so I can have these on a platter by the time coats are hung and stories start flowing.
