The Christmas cookie and candy board I crafted recently is an excellent display of the A Little Something More philosophy. Sure, I have a pantry full of leftover candy and 1.75 pounds of 2 pounds of peppermint bark, but the board made my guests happy. To make your own show-stopping Christmas cookie and candy board, you only need a vessel, a vision, and, of course, a TON of Christmas sweet treats!
The Vessel
To create my Christmas cookie and candy board, I used a 16” round board. I purchased my board for under $20 at Home Goods. For this project I wanted a board with an entirely flat top because I was worried the candy wouldn’t sit nicely if the board had a decorative edge. I also like being able to fill the board entirely to the edge, which gives it a more dramatic effect.
Although this is what I used, any shape or size board will do for this project. I used a tree-shaped dish as the centerpiece for my board. The one I have came from Target, but any festive dish will do.
The Vision
My inspiration for this project came from two phenomenal board experts: Meg Quinn (Ain’t Too Proud to Meg) and Maegan Brown (The BakerMama). These ladies are legit. I drool over their Instagram feeds on a daily basis. During one of these sessions I had the initial idea for my Christmas cookie and candy board.
I also drew inspiration from this board from my childhood. My Auntie Babs is an excellent baker and always made mountains of cookies for us on Christmas. I remember her bringing trays featuring at least a half a dozen different kinds of cookies for our whole family to enjoy (all 7 of us!).
The Treats
I created the Christmas cookie and candy board to display some of my favorite treats, both homemade and store bought.
Homemade:
- Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies
- I know there are other recipes, but this is the one my aunt always uses. I’m not going to mess with perfection here.
- Sally’s Baking Addiction Peanut Butter Blossoms
- SBA is my go-to for baked goods, if I don’t have a family recipe. Her recipes are very thorough and always turn out delicious.
Store Bought:
- M&M’s (1 9.90 oz. bag)
- Lindt Truffles (1 15.2 oz. bag)
- Mini Reese’s Cups (2 11 oz. bags)
- Brach’s Christmas Nougats (1 12 oz. bag)
- Gummy Christmas Trees (I picked these up at it Fresh Market)
- Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark (I went crazy and bought a 2 pound box, but the 1 pound box is more than enough)
Putting the Board Together
Step 1: Place centerpiece
I started by placing my Christmas tree dish in the center of the board and filling it with M&M’s. I think of the centerpiece as the anchor for the board, as you can build everything around it. It’s also a good place to put a small candy that would be difficult for people to pick up directly off of the board.
Step 2: Arrange additional items around centerpiece
It’s fun to arrange the items in a way that mixes texture and color. For example, I did not want to place the cookies next to each other because the colors were too similar. I also took care not to place two wrapped items next to each other.
To make the stacks of candy (like the truffles and nougats), I started by placing a handful on the board and then placed individual candies on top and around the initial stack. To arrange the Reese’s cups, I lined up the cups by color and, just for fun, added a second story.
Sometimes you have to use trial and error to get the arrangement right. I, for example, intended to use Hershey’s kisses on this board, but could not get them to fit. They kept falling off the edge, so I scrapped them in favor of more Reese’s cups. I also find it easier to place the largest items first. Therefore, I started with the cookies so I wouldn’t run out of space for them.
I arranged my board in this order:
- M&M’s
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Peppermint Bark
- Reese’s Cups
- Chocolate Truffles
- Gummy Candy
- Nougats
Step 3: Fill in gaps and garnish
One of the things that differentiates an average board from an extraordinary board is the use of all available space. Most of the candy fit nicely close together and the chocolate chip cookies fanned out beautifully. The peanut butter blossoms, however, when placed next to each other left unattractive gaps. I fixed this by stacking them and then filling in any remaining spaces with M&M’s. I would have actually liked a few more cookies, but we “taste-tested” some before creating the board, so there weren’t any left.
Step 4: Enjoy!
From start to finish, it took about 20 minutes to create this board. I had so much fun putting it together, and even more fun seeing everyone’s reaction when I brought it out for dessert. Creating a festive Christmas cookie and candy board is just another way to add A Little Something More to your holiday party. I hope you will try it with your favorite treats!
Barbara Flood says
A beautiful display! Makes me think of Christmas when you were little. You are the best cookie student ever❤️.
Auntie Babs
Nickie says
You are still the best at baking, but I think I do a pretty good job! 🙂
Angela Grosse says
What a lovely candy/cookie board presentation. This would be fun using different holiday shapes.
Nickie says
Thank you, Angela! I am looking forward to making a board almost entirely of cookies a little closer to Christmas.
Josette Busuttil says
Beautiful presentation ❤️
Nickie says
Thank you! It’s fun to use the Christmas colors to make an eye-catching display.