Caramel Charcuterie Boards Put A Sweet Spin On A Classic Appetizer

Charcuterie boards filled to the brim with various cheeses, crackers, and meats are always great to serve when you're having company over. Combinations like prosciutto and Manchego or Brie and apples are sure to be crowd-pleasers, but if you and your guests have a sweet tooth or you just want a creative dessert idea, a caramel charcuterie board might be just what you've been looking for. This innovative dessert idea has been sweeping social media platforms like TikTok.

@recipes

Fall vibes are on my mind 🍂🎃 Forget traditional caramel apples and whip up this fun dessert board instead! 🍏 @Our.Nohai.Home #fallrecipes #caramelboard #falldesserts #halloweendesserts

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To give a charcuterie board a sugary twist, change your dips and condiments into dessert spreads and sauces, and swap savory snacks with sweet treats, with caramel at the center of it all. In this TikTok recipe video, the creator smears caramel straight onto a wooden board and sprinkles it with candies, chocolate chips, and marshmallows. Apples and pretzels served as vessels to scoop up the caramel.

Other great ideas for caramel dippers include sturdy baked goods like Biscoff cookies, which hold up well against the sticky spread, and fruits like strawberries and bananas add a refreshing element. You could also experiment with what you sprinkle on top of the caramel. Try crushing up candy bars like Butterfingers or Snickers for a sweet crunch, or use sprinkles for a festive appearance. Fruity jams and jellies, chocolate sauce or Nutella, or honey can replace the mustards, savory jams, and other condiments found on traditional charcuterie boards.

There are plenty of store-bought caramel sauces and spreads on the market, but you can also make your own at home if you're feeling up to it and have a little bit of patience. The main ingredient needed to make caramel is sugar, and you might also need corn syrup, butter, and cream, depending on what method you use to make the candy: the wet method or dry method. 

Wet caramel is the more common way to make caramel at home, and is called "wet" because it uses water. To make wet caramel, sugar is dissolved along with corn syrup in water, and the mixture is then reduced until caramelized. Once the mixture becomes amber-brown, the butter is mixed in, and warm cream is stirred in as well. If you're a caramel novice, wet caramel could be a good choice for you, because it's not as likely to burn and create a sticky mess. 

On the flip side, dry caramel is often quicker to make, but it is a little more complicated and requires some finesse. For dry caramel, the sugar is heated directly in a pan with no liquid until it cooks down and achieves that classic caramel color. Because there is no water used in this method, the likelihood of burning is a lot higher, as there isn't a barrier between the sugar and the heat. However, it can be useful if you don't have cream or corn syrup on hand.

If you're not a huge fan of caramel, there are plenty of other ways to put a sweeter spin on a classic charcuterie board. If you love spooning frosting right out of the container, why not use it as a dip? Some social media users are making fun and festive frosting designs as the centerpieces of a dessert board. Try piping out a snowman or Santa design using different colors of frosting. Just like with a caramel board, use fruit, candies, and cookies for dipping in the frosting.

@carla.bushey

If you want don't know what dessert to serve this Holiday season, make this easy Buttercream Snowman board! It never disappoints! What I used: • 1 tub of store-bought vanilla buttercream • 1/4 of tub of store-bought chocolate buttercream (to decorate the snowman) • orange m&m's for the nose • red twisters or fruit by the foot for the scarf • add you favorite cookies or sweets such: nilla wafers, nonpareil wafers, holiday Oreos, shortbread cookies, chocolate wafers, etc • fresh fruit (I used strawberries) Follow the instructions on the video to build this board, I use parchment paper as base for my buttercream. I hope you love it and enjoy! 🫶🏼⛄️ . #buttercream #easydessert #dessertplatter #foodboard #charcuterieboard #foodphotography #snowman #holidaycookies #christmasrecipes #dessertrecipe

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A more classic dessert dip is chocolate fondue. You might be used to seeing chocolate fondue in special fondue pots, but you actually don't need any fancy equipment to make it at home — all you'll need is dark chocolate, vanilla extract, sea salt, and heavy cream. You can microwave the heavy cream and pour it over chopped dark chocolate to melt it, then mix in the salt and vanilla creating a quick ganache. Serve the fondue on a board alongside accoutrements from marshmallows to raspberries. And nothing is stopping you from combining chocolate and caramel on the same dessert charcuterie board.