Creating The Best Hot Chocolate Charcuterie Board
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I have been swept away by the charcuterie board trend, and I am in love! I think they're aesthetically pleasing, delicious, and you can create one for every occasion. As the nights are cold and gloomy, I thought a hot chocolate charcuterie board would be the perfect way to brighten the evenings. They are so easy to make, you'll be falling in love with them too! Here's how to create a delicious and budget-friendly hot cocoa charcuterie board, perfect for having friends over or for Christmas!
What Is A Charcuterie Board?
Typically, a charcuterie board will have meats, cheeses and crackers. It's a French term to describe cured meats such as ham, bacon and usually other pork goods. All of the food on a charcuterie board complements each other. You're able to pick at the bits you enjoy and share with a small group of loved ones. However, charcuterie boards have been switched up and made even tastier. Don't get me wrong, I love a classic charcuterie board, but I also enjoy creating new versions! You'll find Christmas, Halloween, and even movie night themed charcuterie boards! You'll be searching Pinterest for hours as there are so many to pick! I've gone for a hot chocolate charcuterie board on this occasion as I don't have the space for a hot cocoa bar at the moment. I wanted something that everyone could pick from and make their tasty drink!
Related: Cozy gingerbread cupcake recipe!
What You'll Need For A Charcuterie Board
You can customise this charcuterie board however you'd like. Everyone has personal tastes, so you might want to change the hot chocolate flavour or the type of marshmallow. It's easy to swap the things you don't like for other alternatives. I've tried to go for treats you can easily pick up in your local shop! I have created a long list to pick from, but you don't need to include everything. I didn't use everything on this list, but I think they would work well!
- Wooden board - I got mine from TK Maxx, and I love it! It's a bamboo one which I purchased for around £15. You could also purchase this adorable one from Amazon!
- Cute mugs - If you want something more exciting than paper cups, choose some pretty mugs. You could go novelty mugs, themed mugs or even use hot chocolate glasses!
- Little scoops or spoons - For serving your hot chocolate, you'll want some cute spoons on hand! You could use wooden ones or anything you have around the house. The more they fit the colour scheme, the better!
- Hot chocolate mix - I'm using hot chocolate and salted caramel flavoured hot chocolate from Whittard of Chelsea, but you can use any you like.
- Hot chocolate spoons - You can pick these up for £1 at most shops. Even Primark sell them at the counter, and you can find Disney ones there too! You could also use hot chocolate bombs. If not, you can bulk purchase them on Amazon.
- Marshmallows - For texture, you want to try and get different sizes. You could also look at the Christmas shaped ones if you want your board to look festive. You could also get different coloured ones or make your own!
- Fudge/caramel chunks - I love fudge, and it goes perfectly with hot chocolate. You could buy large chunks of fudge or get the little cubes in the baking aisle! Similarly, you could use toffee if you prefer more of a chewy sweet.
- Chocolate chips - These fill out your board, but you can also snack on them or put them in the drink! I've gone for white and milk chocolate. If you don't eat them all, you could use them for baking.
- Candy canes - You could keep these whole or crush them up. I liked to use both on my board as I liked how the colours looked. You could use other peppermint treats too. I got peppermint Hershey kisses from an American sweet shop, and they're very cute!
- Waffle cubes - I love these little waffle bites. They're similar to what you'd get in a coffee shop, and they taste so good with hot chocolate. They're also affordable and perfect for adding texture to your board. You could also get other waffle treats.
- Biscuits - Who doesn't like biscuits with a hot drink? There are lots of different ones you could get, so pick your favourite! You could also get Christmas themed ones.
How To Create A Charcuterie Board
Once you have your supplies, you can start creating your board! There is no set way to make your hot cocoa charcuterie board, but I do have some tips that might help you. The first step is to choose your board. You could use a wooden chopping board or even a baking tray. If you have patterned napkins, you can use this on parts of the board to add extra colour underneath the treats if your board/food is all the same colour. Once you have the base set up, you can layer your board. I'd recommend opening up all your packets, preparing any homemade treats and breaking anything up before you begin. That way, you can get straight into the assembly!
I like to start from the middle outwards, but you could go from one side to another. Start by placing the same treat in one place. Then, build around that snack with other colours and textures. I'd recommend using cute, small bowls to hold certain things. You could also use mugs to break up the board. If you're using bowls, you could place those on the board first as they'll be quite large to fit in. Make sure you don't put the same things or colours too close to each other. It's good to mix it up, and it will look better when you're finished.
Related: How to get into the Christmas spirit
Top Tips For Making A Better Grazing Board
Don't Go Overboard - It's easy to want to put everything on your charcuterie board, but try not to go too over the top. If you use too many sizes, textures and colours, it can look crowded. Instead, stick with a few star items, such as marshmallows, and build from there.
Make Your Grazing Board In Advance - If you're making your board for an event or sleepover, make it in advance. While they are easy to do, you don't want to be playing with them as your guest arrive. Instead, make it a show stopper by pulling out a completed charcuterie board when needed. It will wow your guest, and they won't know how long you spend trying to get things in the right place!
Layer To Avoid Gaps - Some items slid around or showed the board below. You can solve this by using patterned napkins under the gaps. You could also layer your treats. For example, put a few marshmallows or chocolates on the bottom, and top with something else. I found that the hot chocolate sticks worked better with something surrounding it.
Have Packaging/Storage On Hand - These grazing boards are too gorgeous to pack away, but sometimes you can't finish everything. Make sure you have packaging to cover your board or put each thing away. I keep some boxes or store any leftovers in jars to make cleaning up easy. The chocolate chips and marshmallows went into glass jobs, ready to bake in something tasty.
How To Use Your Charcuterie Board
When you're ready to have hot cocoa, you can pick from the board as you like. I'd recommend putting it in the middle of a table with cups at the ready. It may be worth having a hot water dispenser so you can make up your hot chocolate. Just add the bits you want, stir and enjoy! There is no proper way to use the board. You just get to choose the bits you want and enjoy spending time with the people you love. It's easy to make, and you can pick as much as you like. If you have laid out your board in a certain way, you might want to take it from one side to another. For example, if you've put things in chronological order. Otherwise, enjoy your treat however you see fit!
I am all for the charcuterie board trend. The boards are fun to make, and the whole family can enjoy something from them. I will be using my board over Christmas, and I might even create a festive one! Now that I know how easy it is, every holiday will be getting a custom made board. I can see why they've become so trendy! What are your thoughts on charcuterie boards? I'd love to hear what you think about these grazing boards and if it's something you'd consider doing. If you make a hot chocolate board, don't forget to share your pictures with me!
7 comments
Oh my goodness, this looks amazing! We have a hot choclate bar/pitstop this year, but this is on another level! This would be perfect for Christmas Eve, all cuddled up with delicious chocolate goodies and a cheesy film!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, I will have to add a few of these items to our chocolate bar!
Aimsy xoxo
Aimsy’s Antics
This is such a cool idea! I've always thought that charcuterie boards were cool, but I'm vegetarian so haven't really seen ones that I would like about. This is something I definitely want to do ��❄
ReplyDeleteThis looks so cute, love the theme about this. Lovely idea..
ReplyDeleteI LOVE a traditional charcuterie board and always am on the look-out for fun dips, spreads, and jams to include on them, but I have never thought of trying something as tasty and festively fun as your hot chocolate board. I love hot chocolate more than ever this time of year and you include everything on your list that complements a hot cup of chocolatey goodness.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
Omg this is so cute! And I adore hot chocolate, so this is so perfect. Thank you for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteOh, my goshhhh this looks so freaking amazing! I will have to give this a go (probably will have to be after Christmas)!
ReplyDeleteThis looks so nice! I've never made a charcuterie board before but now I really want too! This one is especially perfect for feeling cozy in winter!
ReplyDeleteAisling ~ https://planebeauty.co.uk