How to Make a Dessert Board (Easy Christmas Party Dessert Idea!)

Choose a Board

I love collecting cheese boards, trays and cutting boards so I had quite a bit to choose from.

But you can use anything you have on hand – a large serving platter, a bread board, a marble tray, even a cake stand!

Compile Your Desserts

If you’re a true master baker, you’ll probably already have your go-to holiday cookie and shortbread recipes.

I’m a terrible baker, so I went the store bought route haha. 

I found a ton of great snacks at Trader Joes and Home Goods. Both places have a variety of healthy and not-so-healthy holiday sweets and desserts.

Depending on the size of your board (and number of people), I’d suggest 3-5 small bags of baked goods and desserts. You really don’t need that many types of food; in fact, the dessert board will look cleaner and simpler if you just get a couple.

Here are some recommendations for easy desserts:

Trader Joes Holiday snacks:

• vegan gingerbread loaf 
• Jingle Jangle 
• mint dark chocolate stars
• spiced cookie ‘mug hangers’

Traditional Christmas dessert ideas:

• peppermint bark
• gingerbread cookies
• Danish butter cookies
• candy canes
• mini mince pies

For a healthy holiday board, use:

• grapes
• pomegranates
• sliced apples
• nuts

Grab a Drink

And of course, you need a beverage!

I love a good mulled wine or hot cocktail, but I’ve been trying to ease off the alcohol consumption lately. (There was plenty of that in the first round of quarantine lol).

So today I went for a decadent hot chocolate! I followed the Bon Appetit recipe and added a dash of extra cacao powder to make it extra rich.

Holiday drink options:

• mulled wine
• tea and coffee
• spiced hot cider
• warm cocktails

Use Insulated Cups

Anytime I’m having a drink, I want it to be toasty warm or icy cold. No lukewarm beverages for me please!

I highly recommend getting a set of insulated cups.

They keep hot drinks hot for longer, and cold drinks cold for longer, thanks to their double walled insulation.

Once you try one, you’ll be hooked – especially if you tend to ‘graze’ like I do.

Tervis Tumblers

I have a set of clear cups from Tervis, a company that was the first to even make insulated tumblers (all the way back to the 1940s!)

They make all kinds of holiday cups too, and this year I picked up this pretty red holiday tumbler as well as an extra large iced coffee tumbler.

You can even customize any Tervis cup by adding a name, photo, logo or design, which makes for a great party gift!

Out of all the reusable cup brands, Tervis has always stood out to me because they really stand behind their products.

They have a commitment to making reusable drink ware that lasts longer, and offer a lifetime guarantee.