By Sophie Wells
The artisanal art of charcuterie is one that has lasted generations, bringing delicious and savory creations to foodies around the world. Although this culinary art originated in France, these beautiful boards have made their way to the states where new and interesting techniques have taken flight. As far as charcuterie goes, the more common ingredients used include foreign cheeses, meats ranging from prosciutto to salami, crostini, olives, spicy jellies, and more. However, one charcuterie trend that has particularly gained popularity in recent months, involves candy.
Yes, sweet has officially overthrown savory with these new and exciting boards. And, as the holidays near, more and more people seem to be hopping on the sugary bandwagon. From Jack Skellington to Santa and his reindeer, to a rainbow explosion, there are hundreds of themes to use for any occasion and even more ingredients to use than you may think.
With Christmas upon us, I’ve seen boards filled with red, green, and peppermint swirls galore. A few popular ingredients used to accomplish this frosty, comforting theme include (but are not limited to): gingerbread men, peppermint bark, red and green M&Ms, snowmen sugar cookies, brownies, Christmas tree gummies, Ghirardelli chocolate squares, and powdered sugar to sprinkle on top.
To go a more spooky route, Halloween-lovers may want to take a look at ingredients such as caramels, candy corn, orange and black M&MS, vampire teeth gummies, pumpkin chocolates, ghost-frosted cookies, orange cream-filled Oreos, and more. Surrounding your board with creepy skull and spider decorations is always a nice touch, as well.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to create an adorable candy board without any theme, in particular, there are many ways to go about it. Pick your favorite color and find matching candies, or use different ingredients to make a rainbow assortment...Whatever you choose to do, you can’t go wrong. To take your charcuterie game to the next level, I also recommend adding bowls of melted chocolate or frosting to spread on cookies, and cups to hold lollipops or longer-shaped candies. As you get started with your creation, take a look at my list of general ingredients to give sugar-lovers an appetizer they’ll remember forever:
Gummy worms or bears (sour or regular)
Yogurt or chocolate covered pretzels
Airheads
Jolly ranchers
Taffy
Fun dip
Dots
Reeses pieces
Snickers
Kit Kat
Twix
Hot tamales
M&Ms
Chocolate covered nuts (almonds, peanuts, etc.)
Cookies
Popcorn (regular or chocolate covered)
Oreos
Twizzlers or licorice
Peach rings
Sophie Wells is an editorial intern who is knowledgeable in all things fashion, cooking, and entertainment.