Food boards are the current craze, and what better way to hop on the trend than to give it a Halloween twist. There are so many desserts and snacks one can indulge in to celebrate this spooky day, and this board is a twist that includes all the classics.
Get ready for an all treats and no tricks recipe!
1. Let's go shopping. Raid your cabinets for all leftover Halloween candy and other seasonal treats. You can also scope out the post-Halloween sales at your local grocery store; this board is composed of StarMarket and CVS finds. Grab everything and anything you think you can arrange into a visually pleasing spread. The key is to not just buy strictly "halloween food" per se, but also things that fit in the seasonal category of Fall. Think orange/red/brown/white tones and anything that screams pumpkin. Here are some ideas and how to stay under budget while you're looking for the perfect items:
2. Find a place to work. Take the board to an outdoor table to really work with the autumn ambiance. This food board would be the perfect picnic centerpiece, especially in an area with pretty trees and colorful leaves. If you're unlucky and pick a cold day like I did, the common room in your building is another great place to assemble and eat.
3. Presentation is key. Place the biggest pieces of your board first, and work around those attention-grabbing items. For this board, I chose cookies and cupcakes as the main attraction.
4. Keep going- now you're getting the hang of it. Make sure this board consists of all your favorite sweets and reflects your creativity. After pinterest-searching for some snacks, I came across this worm-in-the-dirt snack that would be the perfect addition to the center. For more ideas like these, check out this read about Halloween snacks.
5. Fill in the gaps. Next, you want to work from the center of the board towards the outside border. You should mix sizes across the board as well as colors. Additionally, don't clump all of the same snack in one area. You want your fellow foodies to be able to enjoy everything from the board has to offer from any angle.
White chocolate covered pretzels!
Candy corn!
A Nutella dipping well with Rice Krispie walls (pro tip: dip the pretzels in the Nutella)!
6. Final touches. Take your leftover ingredients and scatter them around. The goal is to cover every inch of the board; you want to see the least amount of background possible. Play i-spy and find the extra sweets I added in: marshmallows, Hershey's candy, trail mix (shoutout to my roommate for this delicious creation), and decorative pumpkins!
7. Take in the beauty of your final product. Your creation is finally ready and your mouth must be watering (unless you snuck in some bites while making the board, which is TOTALLY ok). Take some pictures to show off your elegant board-making-skills to your friends!
8. Enjoy! The beauty of food boards is the creative license that you get with it. You can add, take away, or swap these ideas in any way you like to make a truly unique board. It only takes a few minutes to make- and even less minutes to eat- but making a Halloween charcuterie board with your friends is a great idea for a memorable November day. Stay spooky!
The aftermath: