Impress your party guests by designing a Valentine’s Charcuterie Board for this February the 14th. These simple tips will help you easily make your own.
Post contains helpful affiliate links at no extra cost to you.
Last year for Valentine’s Day, I wanted to have something a little extra special for my boys. We had just moved into our house in a brand new state and they were missing our old home and their neighborhood friends.
So I decided to host a small (we didn’t know a lot of people yet!) Valentine’s Day party with their friend’s family. Along with having a few activities (check out this FREE Valentine Word Search) and playing a game or two (this one is currently a family favorite), I knew we needed to serve treats. It’s Valentine’s day, that was a no brainer! But how to display them was definitely a question to think about.
Our hot chocolate toppings charcuterie board was such a hit for our Caroling party the year before, I decided to make a Valentine’s themed charcuterie board for our upcoming gathering.
Recreate the look:
And I’m so very glad I took the time to make one, because it was a huge success! The kids LOVED the assortment of goodies and the adults were impressed with the stunning array. It definitely got the “wow” factor and was delicious as well!
Creating a Valentine’s Charcuterie Board
How to make a Valentine’s charcuterie board? There really is no wrong way to do it but it may seem overwhelming if you have never put one together before. Here are a few simple steps to follow to ensure your dessert board will look absolutely fabulous! Displaying all your sweet treats on one gorgeous spread couldn’t be easier!
Okay for all you literally loving people, technically a charcuterie means “cold cooked meats”. So the charcuterie board should be holding an array of meats and complimentary foods to go along with it beautifully displayed on a large board. In this case, we are taking the idea of a charcuterie board in how we are displaying our Valentine’s Day sweets. It’s such a pretty way to showcase all the goodies and “charcuterie” easily paints the picture of how we do it!
1. Gather Supplies for your Valentine’s Board
– Serving Dishes
To get started, you’ll need something to serve everything on. You can use a platter, tray or designated charcuterie board or a piece of wood, really anything you would like that is large enough to fit all the goodies.
I used my wood serving tray that I absolutely love! It is so versatile for any event and is a definite must in my party hosting supplies. To protect the wood, I covered the bottom with tin foil which was easily covered up by all of the sweets.
To contain the smaller items, I used these adorable heart shaped bowls. They helped to break things up while also adding a bit of “Valentines” with their heart shape.
– Valentine Treats
What do you put on a Valentine’s Day charcuterie board? That all depends on what kind of Valentine’s board you are putting together! Are you going with a traditional charcuterie board of meats and cheeses or for more of a dessert board? I went with the dessert route so filled the tray with an array of Valentine’s themed treats and goodies!
I would definitely brainstorm a list of all the sweets you would like to serve. Make sure you go for a variety of color, taste, and texture. Then make a note of all the ingredients needed for the home baked treats as well as all the other treats you will be buying premade from the store.
In my search for Valentine’s Day themed treats, I discovered quite a few sweets that would be perfect on a Valentine’s Dessert Board. I thought it may be helpful if I compiled a list of my findings to help you get started assembling your charcuterie board! Definitely keep your eyes open when you go shopping for anything pink, red, white, and/or Valentine’s Day themed, you may be surprised what new goodies you might find!
List of Valentine’s themed Treats:
FRUIT:
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Cherries
- Strawberries
- Grapes
CHOCOLATES:
- Hershey’s Valentine’s Hugs & Kisses
- Valentine’s Day M&Ms
- Chocolate Heart Pretzels
- Heart Shaped Chocolates
- Chocolate Covered Oreos
- Ghirardelli Valentine Squares
- Ghirardelli Heart Shaped Chocolates
- Brownies – cut into hearts!
- Hershey’s Strawberry filled Chocolate Hearts
- Chocolate Shaped Heart Cookies
- Oreo Truffles
- Ding Dong Heart Cakes
- Chocolate Lips
- Pink Lindt Chocolates
- Reeses Hearts
CANDIES:
- Lip Gummies
- YumEarth Valentines Gummy Fruits
- Cherry Heart Candies
- Red & White Heart Gummies
- Pink Rock Candy
- Cinnamon Heart Hard Candies
- Red Licorice Pinwheels
- Valentines Candy Corn
- Starburst Valentine Jelly Beans
- Swedish Fish Hearts
- Pocky Strawberry Cream Covered Biscuits
- Valentine’s Gummy Bears
- Red Licorice
- Cherry Valentine Suckers
- Conversation Hearts
- Valentine’s Jelly Beans
COOKIES & SNACKS:
- Shortbread Heart Sandwich Cookies
- Yogurt Pretzels
- Cheesecake Bites
- Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Pink Macroons
- Little Debbie Heart Cakes
- Rice Krispie Treats – formed into hearts!
- Valentines Pretzel Rods
- White Mini Donuts
- Heart Shaped Marshmallows
- XO Cookies
- Pink Strawberry Wafers
Recreate the look:
2. Map Out your Valentine’s Charcuterie Board
Now it’s time for the really fun part! After you have collected and made all of your desserts, now it’s time to map out where you would like everything situated on your charcuterie board. Believe me, it is not just thrown on there! This takes some conscience thought and a bit of trial and error.
I like to keep a few concepts in mind when I am designing a charcuterie board.
– Create Contrast
When placing items, take into consideration size, color, and texture. To get a more visually appealing effect, you will want to create as much contrast as possible.
For example, I wouldn’t want to have my brownies, truffles, and chocolate pretzels grouped together on one side. If my entire board was chocolate sweets, then I would separate more by size but I would still take in consideration the color because chocolate can be different shades.
The strawberries and raspberries are similar, delicious, bright reds so I made sure not to have them next to each other.
– Consider Food Groupings
Foods can be grouped in a pile (like my the strawberries and pretzels) or displayed in an array (like the sugar cookies, shortbread cookies, and cheesecake bites).
Having smaller dishes on your board is another way to separate items and can help break things up. And different shaped bowls can also help bring out the theme of the party.
– Assemble in Advance
I would definitely recommend mapping it out in advance. That way you aren’t rushed and you have it exactly how you want it. Once you are satisfied with the placement of all the goodies, be sure to take a quick photo of it with your phone.
This way you can store all the treats to preserve their freshness until shortly before the event. Then use the photo as a reference to put your sweets back in place. Believe me, you will want it.
I played with the placement of everything the day before our Valentine’s Day party and then put everything away. Because I knew the brownies and cookies would harden if left out and the cheesecakes would definitely not last!
3. Serve & Enjoy your Valentine’s Charcuterie Board!
Shortly before guests arrive, gather all your treats and serving dishes and pull up that pic on your phone so you can quickly recreate your previous Valentine’s Charcuterie Board masterpiece.
Be sure to remember those Valentine’s plates & napkins, cups, and a festive table cloth is always a fun idea!
And now it’s party time! Give yourself a pat on the back, you did a great job!
Now go enjoy your dessert board… while you still can. Believe me, it will go fast!
A Few Bonus Tips
It’s super convenient to have premade foods you don’t have to worry about preparing. But sometimes home baked goodies are best! So I opted to whip up the rice krispies, brownies, and oreo truffles in my kitchen.
The Rice Krispies
Word of advice about the rice krispie treats, DON’T follow the recipe on the cereal box. They will come out hard as a rock. Trust me on this one!
Recreate the look:
Instead, check out this recipe my friend Hannah introduced me to several years ago. It’s DELICIOUS! And is hands down the BEST rice krisipes recipe I have yet tried. My husband doesn’t like rice krispie treats, but he enjoys these. Each piece has pockets of creamy marshmallowy goodness. So yummy!
I knew my rice krisipe treats would be in a great need for a Valentine makeover. So I stirred in a few shakes of festive sprinkles and after they were formed in a pan, I used my heart cookie cutter to cut out their shapes.
To save on time
I admit I did use a brownie mix. But… whenever I do use a box, I like to take it to the next level with a few alterations. I swap out butter for oil, replace the water with milk, and add a 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips. Whenever I do this, I always get compliments on how good the brownies taste!
I cooked the brownies in a pan as usual and when they had cooled off a bit, I used a cookie cutter to punch out the heart shapes. Yes there was some brownie remnants left over, but my kiddos took care of that problem. 😉
Recreate the look:
To add a bit of color and more of a “Valentines” feel to a few of the desserts, I dressed them up with “love”, “XO”, and hearts. It was such a simple and easy thing to do but it added so much to the appearance! Especially brightening up the chocolaty items. By using candy melts and icing tips and baggies, I was able to totally transform their look and have them sing Valentine’s!
I also stenciled some “XO”s to the cheesecake bites to brighten to add more interest.
So will you be creating a Valentine’s Charcuterie Board this February?
Be sure to tag me @_AspenJay so I can see how your Valentine’s dessert board turned out. I can’t wait!
Did you find this post helpful? Then be sure to save THIS PIN to your Valentine’s Ideas board!
Looking for more fun Valentine’s Day printables and ideas? Below are some of my favorites!
Shakespeare Valentine’s Art Printable
I absolutely adore this Valentine’s charcuterie board. 🙂 Perfect for a galentine’s party or bridal shower. Thanks for sharing.
Ah thanks! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Will you be making one??? They are absolutely delicious! 🙂