Holiday-themed dessert boards are a fun way to display a variety of treats for guests to enjoy. This Christmas cookie dessert board is filled with homemade cookies, peppermint bark, and holiday candy. Whether you’re hosting a party or enjoying a holiday movie night, this Christmas board is filled with treat ideas for everyone.
This year we added homemade cookies with a few store-bought treats. The SNOWBALL COOKIES, M&M’s chocolate chip cookies, and SPRITZ COOKIES are homemade. The chocolate toy soldier candy and nutcracker cookies are store-bought.
Peppermint bark is a must-have at every holiday party in our family. It’s my son’s favorite holiday treat. To switch things up, I used a mini snowflake mold to layer dark chocolate, white chocolate, and peppermint pieces. The end result is a bite-size peppermint bark snowflake that everyone loved. Try our favorite OREO Peppermint Bark recipe for a twist on this classic holiday treat.
Christmas Cookie Dessert Board
- Spritz Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Peppermint Bark
- M&M’s Chocolate chip cookies
- Mini star cookies
- Dark chocolate balls
- Red & Green Star gummies
- Peppermint candy
- Christmas M&M’s
- Nutcracker Cookies
- Toy Soldier chocolate bars
- Gumdrops
Fruit to add to a holiday dessert board
- Figs
- Pears
- Pomegranates
- Grapes
- Persimmons
Tips for making a holiday dessert board
- Pick a board or platter to arrange the treats on. This time of year you can find festive shapes like ceramic tree platters or use a classic wooden board.
- Add 2-3 small dishes to the platter to add dimension. Small trees, snowflakes, or star-shaped candy dishes look great on a holiday board. Use the small dishes to fill with small candy like M&M’s or dessert dips.
- Arrange the cookies and candy in a pattern around the board. In this case, I arranged the cookies in a circular pattern first. Then work your way towards the center.
- Keep adding holiday treats until the board is completely filled. Use small candy pieces to fill in spaces. Tip: slightly layer the treats on top of each other like the mini star cookies over the nutcracker cookies.
- Try to mix up the colors as you work your way around. Add contrasting pieces next to each to make the treats pop.
Decorate your holiday dessert board
Decide where you will place your board on a table or countertop and add festive greenery around it. Use real evergreen branches, rosemary sprigs, or a faux Christmas garland. For some added sparkle, wrap twinkle lights around the board.
Where do you find holiday candy and cookies?
- Trader Joe’s
- Local bakeries and grocery stores
- Williams Sonoma
- See’s Candies
- Home Goods
Trader Joe’s is a great source for inexpensive holiday cookies and candies. Try the dark chocolate mini star cookies, peppermint Joe-Joes, peppermint meringues, Gingerbread Men Cookies, and minty mallows on a holiday dessert board.
I tend to pick 1-2 specialty candies from See’s or Williams Sonoma. They usually have unique candy pieces that are hard to find elsewhere.
Christmas Candy Tray
I love a colorful candy tray with festive holiday candy. Growing up my mother always kept wrapped seasonal candy in trays around the kitchen and living room. My children now look forward to seeing what treats she has when we visit.
A candy tray is a great way to display small treats for guests to enjoy during a holiday party, during a Christmas movie night, or when decorating gingerbread houses with the kids. For this tray, I used a mix of wrapped and unwrapped candy.
To make a candy tray find a festive holiday platter, I’m using a ceramic tree tray. Then layer the candy in rows, placing the larger candy pieces at the bottom.
More Holiday Ideas:
