This Christmas dessert board is a festive array of delectable cookies, sweet candies, and chocolates presented on a charcuterie board will impress guests at any holiday party all season long!
For more charcuterie board ideas to make this holiday season, try this savory Christmas charcuterie board or make a hot chocolate charcuterie board!
Table of Contents
Easy Holiday Dessert Tray
‘Tis the season of sweet treats! What better way to serve your guests favorite Christmas cookies, candy and fudge than this stunning display of all your favorites! A holiday dessert charcuterie board gives us guilt-free permission to sample one (or three) of everything!
Putting together a Christmas dessert board of your favorite holiday desserts is incredibly easy and such a fun way to finish off your Christmas dinner. Sometimes I even serve it with this fondue chocolate recipe.
Homemade Dessert Ideas
Below is a list of my favorite to add to a dessert charcuterie board. You can also save a bit of time and effort and hit up your local bakery and add those cookies to your tray.
- Cream cheese mints
- Peppermint bark
- Gingerbread man cookies
- Mexican wedding cookies
- Peanut butter cookies
- Peanut butter blossoms
- Christmas sugar cookies
- Pistachio cookies
- Ginger molasses cookies
- Rice krispie treats
Substitutions and Variations
There are so many ways to build the perfect Christmas dessert board! Here are some additional ideas to include on your Christmas tray.
- Candies: For some sweet candy options add candy canes, sugar cookie truffles, eggnog fudge, gumdrops or other Christmas candy. Hit up Trader Joe’s store-bought items you don’t feel like making.
- Chocolate: Chocolate covered pretzel rods, peppermint bark, chocolate bars and seasonal Hershey’s kisses.
- Nuts: This is a Christmas cookie dessert board, for the most part, however, you can add in some salty elements too! Sweet and salty together is amazing.
- Fruit: Strawberries and green grapes add to the festive Christmas color scheme, everyone always loves this fruit Christmas tree.
How to Serve a Dessert Charcuterie Board
Here are the essential tools you’ll need to build your holiday dessert board.
- Board: What’s a dessert platter without the platter! This wood serving tray with handles is one I use. It has an edge and it’s gorgeous.
- Bowls: Use both large bowls and small bowls for your display. It’s nice to have levels and different focal points. These will be used to hold smaller items like Christmas M&M candies, mini marshmallows, gumdrops, smaller cookies, truffles or dips.
- Napkins: Certain items on a savory charcuterie board would need a toothpick for serving. On this holiday dessert board, everything can be picked up by hand, place some napkins or plates nearby.
Building a Christmas Dessert Charcuterie Board
- Start with large items first. I like to start by placing bowls on the platter first then adding larger cookies next.
- Add festive colors for the holiday season. Add lots of red, like fresh cranberries, green, and white. Choose flavors and ingredients that are traditional around Christmas time.
- Leave no blank spaces. Fill in gaps with smaller items like Rolo pretzels, Christmas crack, candy canes, microwave fudge, white chocolate bark, mixed candied nuts, or chocolate covered Oreos.
Charcuterie Board Tips
- Start with a smaller board. The key to an amazing board is that it is so full you can’t actually see the board. Start small with a few sweets and go bigger if needed.
- Textures: Add a variety of textures from crispy crunchy popcorn to soft and chewy homemade cookies.
- Make it your own: Add or take away certain foods as needed. If you have guests coming to your party that have favorite treats, add them in. You can make snack boards as simple or creative as you would like.
- Dips: For a little extra flair, think about adding a few extra bowls for funfetti dip, strawberry cheesecake dip, cherry cheesecake dip, strawberry fruit dip, or your favorite jam.
- Make-ahead: While it is best to assemble your holiday themed dessert charcuterie board right before serving, you can plan ahead by making and freezing cookies ahead of time and fudge stores well for a few weeks.
More Christmas recipes to try include this graham cracker gingerbread house, cornflake wreaths and reindeer pancakes.
More Charcuterie Board Ideas
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Christmas Dessert Charcuterie Board
Equipment
- Large platter or wooden board
Ingredients
Chocolate
- 8 ounces peppermint bark
- 8 ounces Christmas M&Ms
- 8 ounces chocolate-covered pretzels
Candy
- cream cheese mints
- homemade hard candy
- candy canes
- gumdrops
Cookies and Treats
- Mexican wedding cookies
- Christmas sugar cookies
- ginger molasses cookies
- Rice Krispie treats
Instructions
- On a large cutting board or platter, place 2-4 small bowls. Add the M&Ms to a small bowl and desired to the other small bowl.
- Arrange the cookies and chocolate items next. Fill in any remaining areas with additional cookies, candy and chocolate.
Notes
- Chocolate: I like to find ones that are wrapped in red and green.
- Cookies: Choose cookies that are family favorites plus a new one to try.
- Candy: Seasonal Hershey’s kisses, caramels or chocolate covered cherries are great options.
- Fruits and dip – Optionally add fresh apple slices, grapes or strawberries with chocolate fondue.
- Nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios etc. Mixed candied nuts are always a great idea.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Appetizers, Christmas, Desserts, Platters
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is also the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook. Here you will find easy family-friendly recipes for every occasion.
My whole family loved this Christmas dessert board! We found a lot of our homemade candy at Trader Joes and made a few different cookies as well.