Whether or not you enjoy traditional charcuterie, you’ll like the dessert kind if you want candy, cakes, and cookies. You can use any sweet or snack in a dessert charcuterie. The rules are relaxed, and the fun is enhanced when it comes to sweet treats and exciting displays. Here is everything you need to know about candy charcuterie: a guide to styling the sweetest spread is the key to preparing for any occasion.
What Is a Charcuterie Board?
Charcuterie is a French term that refers to salted and smoked meats. Typically paired with cheese and fruit, people display charcuterie on a board to snack and share. Items are served cold and arranged together in a mosaic that makes it easy to choose what to eat.
What Is Dessert Charcuterie?
The difference between a meat and cheese charcuterie and a dessert charcuterie board is simply in what you put on the plate. Dessert boards still include fruit—and they may still have cheese—but additional ingredients may resemble the pairings for chocolate fondue. Dessert charcuterie doesn’t contain meat and is often more colorful and exciting to see.
Pick Items for Your Charcuterie Board
To create a dessert charcuterie board, choose sweets, like candies, to place on your board. Since there are so many different types of candy, you can create an entire board with them. Pick from chocolates, gummies, hard candies, marshmallows, and more.
Household Items to Go with the Candy
- Small Bowls and Jars: Perfect for holding different types of candies and adding height to your display.
- Mini Tongs and Scoops: Great for picking up candies.
- Decorative Plates and Napkins: Match these with your theme for a totally cool look.
- Fairy Lights: Add a magic touch with some battery-operated fairy lights around the board.
Themed Decorations: Use small props related to your theme, like mini pumpkins for Halloween or superhero figures for a movie night.
Choose More Than Candy for Your Dessert Charcuterie
Getting enough candy for your charcuterie board is simple with wholesale candy distributors. In addition to candy, though, you can amaze your guests with a dessert board that includes more than candy. There are additional items you should have on your dessert charcuterie board.
Cookies and Wafers
Tiny baked goods are not only delicious, but they also make your dessert charcuterie board look incredibly whimsical. You can find miniatures of all your favorite cakes and cookies these days. Each will add a pop of excitement to your spread. Consider adding:
- Brownie bites
- Fudge-stripe cookies
- Donut holes
- Macaroons
- Mini muffins
- Mini cupcakes
- Twinkies
- Oreos
Feeling Fruity
Both meat and dessert charcuterie boards use fruit, but which kind of fruit should you include with your dessert board? Choose the sweetest fruits, which are berries, mangoes, and bananas. Include chocolate-covered strawberries on your spread, and they’ll go first.
Salty Additions
Though it is a dessert board, you may consider some salty or savory options to help cut the sweetness. You can chocolate-coat some items to give people a sweet and salty bite in one. Still, it is nice to offer an additional snack to those who prefer a salty treat. The best alternatives for your dessert board include:
- Pretzels
- Popcorn
- Chips
- Nuts
Cheese and Dips
On a dessert charcuterie board, cheese often serves as a dip. The most popular types of cheese to use are Gouda, Brie, ricotta, and cream cheese. Not everyone is a fan of cheese for dipping, though. Allow everyone to participate in the full charcuterie experience by offering additional spreads and dips such as:
- Jams and jellies
- Chocolate dips
- Peanut butter
- Honey
- Nutella
- Marshmallow Fluff
Recommendations for Candy to Use
When it comes to selecting the best candies for your charcuterie board, you want an awesome mix of colors, textures and flavors. Here are some great suggestions to get you started, all available at Sweet Services.
- Gummy Bears and Worms: A must-have for any candy board. They come in so many flavors and colors.
- Chocolate-Covered Pretzels: These add a nice salty-sweet combo.
- Candy-Coated Chocolates (like M&M’s): Perfect for filling in gaps and adding color.
- Lollipops: Add height and visual interest with a variety of lollipops.
- Jelly Beans: These are great for adding a pop of color.
- Peppermint Sticks: Perfect for any holiday-themed board.
- Marshmallows: Add some soft texture — they pair well with chocolates.
Novelty Candies: Think themed chocolates or shaped gummies that match your board’s theme.
How To Arrange a Charcuterie Board
The Board
Typical charcuterie is on a rustic cutting board. Part of the reason is that you may need to cut an item, and the board can help with that. Usually, all snacks are pre-cut, though, so you can display charcuterie on any surface. The flatter the surface, the better because the items will display like an appetizer. Especially when it comes to dessert charcuterie, you can choose any size or shape platter that works for you. Round, square, or custom will look great if you design a gorgeous spread.
The Cutlery
Consider the items you include on your dessert charcuterie board and what you or your guests will need to access them. Place a spoon or knife in each dip or spread so guests don’t mix spoons and contaminate dips. Further, you don’t want guests using their own spoons and double-dipping. You’ll also want a spoon for bowls of candies and tongs or skewers to help people grab other items.
Pro Tip: Place dips far enough away from each other that guests won’t forget where to put a spoon or knife. Place dips on the outer edges of the board, so no one spills any on ingredients that may end up going uneaten.
The Spread
The arrangement of your dessert charcuterie board may attract people to it. The best way to make your board stand out is by mixing and matching unlike colors and patterns. Create flow when you arrange items in different shapes. You can use some of them to create borders for other snacks and candies to spread out. Strategically position bowls of candy, popcorn, and dips to create an abstract design.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Layout
- Select Your Board: Choose a large flat surface like a wooden board a tray or even a large plate.
- Start with the Big Items: Place larger items like candy jars and bowls of chocolates or big lollipops first. This creates a structure for your board.
- Add Medium-Sized Candies: Surround the larger items with medium-sized candies like gummy bears and chocolate bars or clusters.
- Fill in the Gaps: Use smaller candies like M&M’s and maybe jelly beans or bite-sized chocolates to fill in the gaps. This adds texture and color.
Decorate with Extras: Add some household items like small decorative bowls and maybe mini tongs for picking up candy and fun decorations related to your theme.
Reasons to Display a Dessert Charcuterie Board
Charcuterie boards are great for sharing. You can make them as big or small as you want, and you can make many different types. People love this elevated form of buffet or potluck-style dining. Guests can grab a plate and pick out what they want from the spread. Here are some of the best reasons or occasions you might consider making or buying a dessert charcuterie board.
Celebrating a Holiday
Most people get cakes and candies anyway to celebrate special holidays like Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Easter and Christmas. You can amaze your loved one or family with a charcuterie board themed for the occasion. Imagine a red, white, and blue display of candy, cakes, and donuts for a special patriotic holiday. Your friends will want to have the cookout at your place every year.
Holiday-Themed Boards
- Halloween: Fill your board with spooky treats like gummy worms with candy corn and chocolate eyeballs. Add mini pumpkins and ghost-shaped candies for a festive touch.
- Christmas: Use peppermint sticks along with red and green M&M’s and festive-shaped gummies. Sprinkle in some holiday-themed chocolates and candy canes for that merry vibe.
- Easter: Think pastel-colored candies with chocolate eggs and marshmallow chicks. Scatter some jelly beans and pastel-wrapped chocolates around the board for a springtime feel.
Recognizing an Event
Any event worth celebrating deserves a charcuterie board. It’s simple to make one once you have your desired items. Whether you’re throwing a Pride party or Super Bowl event, amaze your guests with a themed spread. You can choose gummies that are colored for your favorite team or include the entire rainbow.
Party-Themed Boards
- Birthday Bash: Bright and colorful candies are a must! Try rainbow lollipops and get some confetti sprinkles and candy-coated chocolates. Add in some birthday cake-flavored treats and candles for that party feel.
- Baby Shower: Use soft pastel colors like pink and blue or yellow. Think gummy bears and chocolate buttons and candy pacifiers. Add in some small toys or baby-themed decorations.
Enhancing a Special Occasion
Eyes are immediately drawn to charcuterie boards because they contain a multitude of different items. Whether you’re hosting a birthday, engagement party, or wedding reception, dessert charcuterie fits right in. This glamorous dessert can feed a party of any size. You simply get a bigger platter and more items.
Pro Tip: If your event runs for several hours, consider hiring or nominating someone to freshen the charcuterie throughout the night. Dips and popular items may run low.
Movie Night
You can please everyone with candy charcuterie. A guide to styling the sweetest spread will show you how to make a display that will not only attract all your guests but give each of them something they’ll love. Everyone deserves to enjoy this unique yet traditional experience that makes eating fun. Before your next event, contact Sweet Services for bulk candy to ensure you have enough for your charcuterie board.
Movie-Themed Boards
- Classic Cinema: Feature black and white candies like licorice and white chocolate-covered pretzels. Add some popcorn-flavored jelly beans and chocolate-covered popcorn for a cinematic touch.
- Superhero: Use bright and bold candies like red and blue gummy bears or superhero-themed lollipops and candy-coated chocolates. You can add in some themed chocolates featuring your favorite heroes.
Sourcing Your Candy Charcuterie Board
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.