Hot cocoa charcuterie boards are taking off in popularity and there is no better time than the holiday season to try and make your own. Whether you want to make it for just your family to enjoy around the fireplace, a large party, or even for gifting, it is a sure way to spread some holiday cheer.
While a charcuterie board traditionally refers to an assortment of meats, cheeses, and breads served as an appetizer, the term has become much broader and people are getting creative with how they bring foods together. While I never pass up traditional meat and cheese charcuterie to go with a bottle of wine, hot cocoa charcuterie has become one of my favorite Christmas traditions in our home.
On the day we plan to decorate our Christmas tree and put out all our decorations, I lay out a spread of sweets to snack on and every ingredient my son could dream of to make a big ol’ mug of fully loaded hot cocoa. Do I go overboard? Absolutely. But it makes creating a cup of hot cocoa so much more fun and we love grazing on it throughout the day.
Last year we decided to share that holiday magic and made hot cocoa charcuterie boxes for our friends and delivered them to their doorsteps along with a box of assorted fresh baked cookies. The kids seriously love it! Pair a homemade box with some fun holiday mugs for the cutest gift set ever!
As a special touch I also like to purchase some gorgeously decorated sugar cookies from local bakers. They can include a special saying or message like “Merry Christmas.” They become sort of like an edible card.
There really is no right or wrong way to build a hot cocoa charcuterie board or box, it is about bringing together an assortment of ingredients and letting people use their imagination topping, drizzling, dipping, and sipping.
Of course, there are always the obvious choices or marshmallows, whipped cream, and sprinkles, but don’t let the fun stop there. You can fill your board with peppermint bark, caramel sauce, and then make sure to include some tasty treats for dipping too! And don’t for one second think this is just for the kids! Add some holiday spirits for the adults. Nothing like spiking your hot cocoa with some Irish cream or peppermint schnapps.
I hope this has inspired you to create your own hot cocoa board or box this holiday season and beyond. And just keep in mind, the number one rule for building a board or box is, there are no rules! Just have fun with it.
How to Build Your Board or Box
Step 1
The first step is selecting your board or box. My best advice is to make sure it is big enough for all your goodies. The bigger the better but just make sure you have enough to fill it so there aren’t any bare spots.
If you are creating this for a really large group, you could always just line your counter or table with butcher paper or parchment paper and make it a grazing experience.
Step 2
Place your most important ingredient of all, your hot cocoa bombs or container of mix in a corner.
If you want to have your hot cocoa prepared ahead of time, skip this step. When having a party, I like to make my homemade hot cocoa in a crock-pot so it is ready to go. The guests can just ladle it into their mugs.
Step 3
Place small bowls or containers for sprinkles, chocolate chips, smaller candies, and syrups around the board. If making a gift box, plastic sauce cups with lids work great!
Place longer items, like pirouette cookies, candy canes, and candy coated stir sticks in cups or mason jars to add some height to the board.
Step 4
Arrange cookies in clusters around the board or box.
Step 5
Fill in remaining gaps with candies, marshmallows, and chocolates. You want the board to look full so don’t be shy, add lots and don’t worry about layering things up!
Step 6
Add some small scoopers and/or tongs in addition to some sort of stir sticks. I love including chocolate dipped spoons and the wood stir sticks coated in crushed peppermints but it could be as simple as some wood stir sticks or spoons.
Fun Toppings and Extra Treats
- Marshmallows (assorted sizes)
- Candy canes
- Festive sprinkles
- Toffee bits
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- White chocolate chips
- Pirouette cookies
- Chocolate coated pretzels
- Assorted cookies
- Chocolate coated Oreos
- Assorted chocolates and candies
- Caramels
- Caramel sauce
- Chocolate sauce
- Chocolate truffles
- Peppermint bark
- Chocolate covered spoons
- Adult mix ins (peppermint or butterscotch schnapps, amaretto, Irish cream, Irish whiskey, etc.)
If you like this, then make sure to also check out my recipes for Homemade Marshmallows or Creamy Hot Cocoa in a Crock-Pot!
A huge thank you to Sugar Sweetery for providing the sugar cookies for this article. Check them out on IG @sugar_sweetery
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