Pickle Wraps

From an after school snack, to holiday potlucks, to a graduation party favorite, the Pickle Wrap is a crowd pleaser that is easy to make and delivers a creamy, crunchy and tangy flavor in each bite.

Today is the first day of school for my kids. I wanted to make them something special for an after school snack and it was easy decision to make a batch of Pickle Wraps. This summer was the summer of pickle wraps at our house. Our kids made them constantly for lunch, so much so that I was buying a couple jars of pickles weekly to keep up with their pickle wrap consumption...

The kids waiting for the bus this morning before
the first day of 7th, 5th, 3rd and 2nd grades!

Pickle Wraps can be found all over the United States but they do seem to be a Midwest favorite. There is no exact known origin of the pickle, cream cheese and deli meat snack, but it is believed to have German roots, which makes sense on why it is so common in states like Iowa. You can find this appetizer at pretty much any gathering of family or friends and has the nickname Lutheran Sushi in some areas.

My family loves Pickle Wraps because they are easy to make and you can add your own spin to the wraps by using different types of deli meat - ham, roast beef, turkey, salami, etc. and/or different flavors of cream cheese - jalapeno, chive & onion, or garden vegetable. My personal favorite is roast beef with jalapeno cream cheese and my kids favorite and go to all summer was turkey and regular cream cheese.

Pickle Wraps

32 oz jar Baby Dill Pickles (we prefer Mt. Olive brand)

8 oz Cream Cheese Spread tub

8 oz Buddig Deli Meat

Place pickles on a paper towel to soak up excess pickle juice as you begin spreading a dollop of cream cheese on a slice of deli meat. Then spread cream cheese on a second slice of deli meat.

Stack the two pieces of deli meat on top of each other and wrap up the pickle in the layered pieces of meat.

Place the wrapped pickle onto a plate, edge side down, and repeat till you have went through all of your deli meat or pickles.

Over years of perfecting our Pickle Wrap skills, we have found that one 32 oz jar of baby dill pickles and four packages of Buddig lunch meat works out about even per two slices of lunch meat to one pickle ratio. Occasionally you'll have an extra slice or two of meat that we just add as another layer onto one of the pickle wraps, or if we have an extra pickle or two we just eat them. 😉

Place the wrapped pickles in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before slicing. Use a sharp knife to cut each pickle into three to five bite-sized slices, depending on the length of the pickle. We leave the "ends" of the pickles for our personal consumption and only serve the middle slices on a plate to guests. The whole family wants to be in the kitchen when I slice the Pickle Wraps so they can enjoy the ends of the pickles and have an appetizer, before we share the Pickle Wraps as an appetizer.

Store your pickle wraps on a plate and cover with plastic wrap before serving. The Pickle Wraps can be made up ahead of time up to 24 hours before serving if needed. I usually set out some toothpicks next to the plate for easy serving at a party. Leftovers, if you have any, can be stored in the fridge up to a couple of days.

I hope you serve up this Midwest delicacy for your next after school snack, card club party, tailgate or holiday gathering! Here is a list of some of my kids' other favorite after school snacks. What other easy snacks or appetizers does your family enjoy?

Check out these other kid approved after school snacks:

• Sheet Pan Charcuterie Board
• Turkey Wrap
• 1 Minute Caramel Apple Dip
• Trail Mix Cookies
• Puppy Chow
• Kid Friendly Trail Mix
• Pantry Trail Mix
• Caramel Crispix Mix