Styling and Photography by Laurie Mosco

Social media has transformed every get-together into a photo opportunity. It’s no surprise candy boards, a.k.a. candy charcuterie are becoming THE new way to add picture perfect excitement to the dessert table.  There are even small businesses  dedicated solely to candy boards (Fox 5 Atlanta).  It’s easy to get on board with building and guiding customers in building candy charcuterie; especially when we’re serving up our best candy charcuterie ideas on a silver platter for you to use and share.

Styling a Sweet Spread

Whether it’s a backyard get together, birthday, or an office gathering, candy charcuteries transform an event into a memorable experience.  In this case, you’re looking to please a crowd, so incorporate a variety of confection types, colors and flavors. Make it memorable with unique flavors, hard-to-find items, fun shapes, and classics done to perfection.  

Ruby chocolate is still newer to the market, and something not everyone has had a chance to taste. They’ll be tickled pink to see and get a taste of the recognizable pink chocolate found in Chocolove’s Ruby Cacao Bar. Adding the unique can be as easy as incorporating a popular flavor with a twist like buttery caramel paired with crisp cookie pieces found in craft chocolate brand Tony’s Chocolonely Milk Chocolate Caramel Cookie Bar.  Added bonus – Tony’s Chocolonely has unique breaks, adding some visual interest to your board.

Little decorative elements like rainbow sprinkles, nonpareils, and mini chocolate chips found adorning Nancy Adams Premier Pretzel Rods bring the classic into party mode. They’ll also know it’s party time when they spot the elegant signature curve and shimmering nonpareil sprinkles of Nassau Candy’s Dark Chocolate Nonpareils.

Candy boards should have something for everyone, so you know gummies are on the menu.  This IS a celebration, so multi colored and playful shapes like Clever Candy Sour Twin Cherries, Triple Layer Hearts, Mini Gummy Bears, and Blue Razz Puffy Puffs bring the excitement.  We know candy boards are about indulgence, but don’t forget to sneak in a few better-for-you options like sweet and fruity B’Cuz Strawberry Mallow Granola Bites or exotic Bear Real Fruit Mango Yo Yo’s for those with dietary restrictions (and those who simply love the taste of real fruit).

Dramatic Monochromatic

You’ve got the basics of building candy charcuterie, now make it extra special by playing with color. A single color candy board creates a bold statement that makes events like a wedding, shower, or anniversary party even more memorable.  Since you want to focus on one color, you want to keep an eye on layering textures.  An easy way to do that is to include items with opposing textures. For example, rough rock candy and sanded sour gummies paired with the smooth sheen of foiled chocolate balls and gleaming Shimmer Sixlets. 

Playing with size and scale is another way to create visual interest. Large, oversized Whirly Pops grouped with small Donut Hole Bites create lots of visual excitement.  You’re not limited to using only loose, bulk candy.  You can bring in packaging saturated in the theme color for additional interest AND something guests can take home as a favor.

Be the Centerpiece of Seasonal Celebrations

Last year, consumers spent a total of $4.6 billion on seasonal candy, according to the National Confectioners Association.  It goes without saying that seasonal candy charcuterie displays are a great way to capitalize on the popularity of candy boards.  Like all-occasion and monochromatic boards, colors and shapes play a big role in creating a sensational seasonal candy charcuterie spread.  Confections sprinkled with red, white, and green nonpareils, peppermint pieces, or better yet, gummies in these colors reads holly and jolly. Along with color, shapes can help to make a candy sing with holiday spirit. Continuing in the Christmas vein, confections in shapes of snowflakes, gingerbread men, or even a classic like candy canes help show off your board’s (and your) holiday spirit. 

Limited time seasonal flavors are a big seller, which is why it’s important to offer seasonal flavors in your seasonal candy charcuterie boards.  We love peppermint, gingerbread, and hot cocoa for Christmas, and adore pumpkin spice and caramel apple for Halloween and Thanksgiving. 

Across the board, consumers agree that confections are a welcome guest at any celebration. Be their party in a box (or in this case party on the board) with candy charcuterie boards.

Ready to create candy charcuterie?  Our shop by color section is a great place to start