Chocucterie — v i c k i h a l l

Since the Raptors have started the playoffs, game nights at my house have seen my family room full of teenage boys watching the game and playing endless rounds of mini sticks. I thought it might be nice to treat the boys to some fun snacks - that don’t have to be healthy. One of my favourite things to make for parties are charcuterie boards…and they’re always a hit. So I decided to try a fun twist on the traditional cheese/meat grazing platter and created a Chocucterie board bursting with chocolate and other yummy candy and fruit accompaniments.

Shopping for this board was tons of fun, and I could have easily made one double (or triple) the size. I chose a gorgeous round marble tray by Samantha Pynn for Homesense. Marble is a great choice for this type of board because it stays cool and the chocolate doesn’t melt. That would just be a nasty mess. Since this board was for a group of teenagers, I went with chocolates easily available at the grocery store and Bulk Barn. If I were to make a similar tray for adults, I might consider using chocolates and cookies of higher quality. I knew I wanted some fruit on the board so I chose organic strawberries. Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries all compliment chocolate very nicely. I went with a wafer theme for a little crunch, and if you wanted to add a little saltiness - chocolate covered pretzles would also be a great addition.

When creating any charcuterie/chocucterie board - texture, flavour and colour are all important to think about. In my board, I chose chocolate with different flavours. Dark chocolate bark with nuts, mini peanut butter cups, Curly Wurly bars, mini Twix and my all time favourite treat Malteesers each bring a variety of flavours to the board. The mini waffles, chocolate coated wafers and Cadbury fingers added texture, while the fortune cookies were a hit. Try adding ‘in bed’ to your fortune - but don’t tell the teens that! The addition of a couple of small dishes of Swedish Red Berries and Real Fruit Gummies add some colour and fun to the board. Variation in height also adds interest and I achieved that with the addition of Pocky Biscuit Sticks. The strawberry variety (pink in colour) would have also made a great addition to the board.

Chocuterie or dessert grazing platters are all about fun, so go nuts (and chocolate) and try all your favourites on your own creation. Tag me on Insta when you post - so I can see your fab creations!