How to Make a Dessert Board

 Celebrate a special occasion in the sweetest way with this mouthwatering dessert board! Complete with fresh fruit, dark chocolate, cookie butter and whipped mascarpone cream, there’s something for everyone!

We all know about those delicious savory charcuterie boards that everyone is so crazy about.  Well I’m here to show you the sweet side with this mouthwatering dessert board! You don’t have to be a whiz in the kitchen to whip one up, either! It’s made up of lots of yummy store bought goodies and fresh fruit! This dessert board couldn’t be easier for you to pull together, even when you are busy.

The best thing about this dessert board is that it doesn’t require any cooking!  This makes it a perfect addition to any holiday menu.   It is a great way to use up nuts, cookies, dried fruit, fresh fruit, chocolate of all sorts in your pantry.  There’s no set combination of flavors, either! You can pick and choose your family favorites or what is in season and it will be beautiful either way.

How do I choose what goes on my dessert board?

I like to go for a variety of different colors, shapes, textures and flavors to keep your palate on it’s toes!

Start with some fresh fruit.

Fresh figs are in season, so that was the first fruit I thought of.  I love the gorgeous interior of these little fruits, and their flavor is second to none! I added some sliced green apples, blueberries and blackberries to my board to round it out.

Next choose something chewy. 

I found some delicious Stroopwafel cookies at Trader Joes that have the best texture and taste amazing! I literally could not stop eating these little cookies.  For more chewy add-ons, you can grab some dried fruit (think mango or apricots)

Include something salty.

Salty and sweet candied pecans, roasted almonds are perfect partners to the fresh fruit on the board. Feel free to add chocolate covered mini pretzels for a fun salty and sweet combo!

Add a creamy element

I have two bowls on this dessert board.  One is filled with a whipped mascarpone dip (with a splash of Kahlua) and the other is filled with Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter.

Add some Chocolate!

Chocolate is always a must on any dessert board. An easy choice are my favorite, Ghirardelli chocolate squares.  They come individually wrapped and they’re beautiful! I love the dark chocolate variety pack, but they also come in mint, raspberry, caramel and so much more.

Finally, add some crunch! 

A crunchy addition is always a good idea on any board.  Whether that be a crisp apple or a nutty Biscoff cookie like I’ve included here, make sure you include that on your dessert board.

Then comes an epic selection of sprinkled and colorful treats fanning out from the cake. A masterpiece of some simple homemade treats along with some fun and yummy store-bought goodies.

How do I assemble the dessert board?

Start off by choosing a big enough platter for all of your ingredients.  I love this one I found at Home Depot.  I love the color and size and the big handle at the bottom. Place your bowls on opposite sides of the board, but not too close to the edge.  I like to start with the bigger bowl that has the whipped mascarpone dip just northwest of the center, and then placed the smaller one slightly southeast of that.  Fill in with the sliced apples next, fanning them out slightly.  I kept the cut side down so you could see that gorgeous green color on top.

Next place the figs or other fruit you choose.  At the edge of the board, fan out the cookies and chocolates.  Finally, fill in the rest of the empty spots with miscellaneous fruit and nuts.  Don’t be afraid of overflow! Make sure the surface below the board is clean and let those nuts and berries spill off.

Pair a cocktail!

If you want to enjoy a nice glass of wine while you’re snacking on this dessert board, here are some great pairings:

Figs pair well with with Pinot Noir.  A Burgundy will enhance the Mediterranean palate, but choose a fruit-forward California variety for a little fun.

Blackberries taste delicious with a sweet Riesling. If the berries are freshly picked, nothing beats the flavor of blackberries paired with a sweet, fruity white Riesling.

Granny Smith apples go great with a glass of Chardonnay.  The flavor of the granny smith apples are really elevated when paired with an oaky Chardonnay.

Hope you loved my tips on creating this delicious dessert board! Let me know what you put on yours in the comments below!

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