Although trick-or-treating with my friends was my favourite part of Halloween as a kid, nothing compared to ending the night by dumping out our over-flowing candy bags all over the floor so we could trade sweets. Seeing multiple candy options strewn in front of me at once was one of my most cherished spooky memories from my childhood, so when I saw that sweet-toothed adults were making candy charcuterie boards that looked just like my kitchen floor did every Halloween during my teen years, I knew I had to make one myself.
Making a charcuterie board may look intimidating, but I can assure you that you really have nothing to worry about. In fact, this was the first time I made a board myself, and it really wasn’t all that challenging! All you need to do is just follow a few key steps, and you’re well on your way to making your very own candy charcuterie board for Halloween.
POPSUGAR Photography / Ashley Ortiz
Gather Your Favorite Spooky Snacks
To start my board, I gathered as many Halloween-themed treats as I could find, focusing on snacks that were orange, black, green, brown, and red in color. I also turned some non-Halloween candy like Milano cookies and chocolate finger biscuits into spooky treats. For the cookies, I used melted chocolate to write “RIP” so they look like headstones. For the finger biscuits, I shaped malleable caramel chews with raspberry preserves into bloody fingernails, and added them to the tips of the biscuits so they look like ghoulish fingers. I did put pumpkin butter in the center of my board, but feel free to use dirt pudding or any other treat you desire.
POPSUGAR Photography / Ashley Ortiz
Pick One Item To Start With
Building the actual board is where the fun really begins! I found that placing a small bowl with dip or small candies in the middle of the board is a great first step if you’re feeling overwhelmed with options. Afterwards, I put down a row of cookies that went across the diameter of the tray to help me “visualize” how I wanted my board to look like. Another pro tip is to use a tray with a slight edge to keep the candy in place.
POPSUGAR Photography / Ashley Ortiz
Fill the Board However You Desire
As you continue to fill the board with each individual snack, keep in mind that the more “movement” there is on your board, the more appealing it will look, so don’t be afraid to get creative with stacking and laying the candy out in various ways across the board. There are pretty much no rules when it comes to this stage, but try not to place two piles of the same type of candy exactly across from each other if you don’t want a perfectly symmetrical board.
POPSUGAR Photography / Ashley Ortiz
Add Finishing Touches
The last step in creating a hauntingly delightful candy board is to add additional height and depth by stacking sweets like gummy spiders or chocolate fingers on top of various candy sections. You’ll know you’re done when the board has disappeared beneath the candy and the set up looks a little too creepy to eat.
