There’s no time like the present to throw a small (and safe)
get together, treat your loved one to a date-night at home, or just indulge in
a little chocolate. Make any cold-weather event special by creating your very
own hot chocolate charcuterie board. Here’s how.
Start with High Quality Cocoa
If the foundation of your hot cocoa beverage doesn’t taste
very chocolatey, then what’s the point? Choose a high-quality drinking
chocolate like Godiva
or Ghirardelli and pair
with a rich, flavorful milk or milk alternative. For a complete list of the
best drinking chocolates, consult this comprehensive selection here.
If you plan to host others (safely), make a few different batches
in various crockpots for those who want to sip and sample. Use oat or almond
milk as a base along with a high-quality, organic milk. Select a spiced
Mexican-style chocolate or even float cinnamon sticks in one batch to get
really fancy. Be as creative as you want while offering a variety of choices
for those with dietary restrictions.
Have Treats for Kids and Adults
Perhaps you want to create two charcuterie boards for adults
and those not of drinking age. For the little ones, line up fanciful bottles
full of caramel, chocolate sauce, fruit syrups, honey, and the like. For
adults, offer a sampling of whiskies, Irish creams, and rums poured into pretty
decanters or crystal tumblers.
It’s All About the Toppings
A beautiful, cured meat charcuterie board is made all the
more eye-catching when more colorful items are added. With a dessert board, the
same rule should apply. Adding pops of color via interesting, sweet toppings
can brighten up your chocolate-based platter. Crush up peppermint sticks, pile
up pink marshmallows, and set little bowls of white chocolate chips amongst
stir sticks like rocky candy, chocolate covered pretzels, or hazelnut rolled
wafers.
Quantity and Quality are Important
You definitely don’t want to overload the board with items
people wouldn’t want to eat. Instead, opt for high quality candies and
chocolates, like chocolate-covered espresso beans, white chocolate pretzel
twists, and homemade whipped cream. Create a secondary dessert board for
dippable items and set this next to your toppings board for even more options.
Ask guests to contribute to the dessert board by bringing a serving of their
favorite homemade cookies, crackers, or dipping options.
For some good, wholesome fun, throw a hot-chocolate themed event.
Create a decadent, dessert board (or two) full of toppings, sweet treats, and
snacks to make the best hot chocolate ever. Warmer weather is quickly
approaching so don’t wait!
The Piedmont Apartments
in Avon, Colorado sets
guests against the perfect backdrop for a winter-themed evening. In the heart
of the Rocky Mountains, this
mountain town offers a plethora of outdoor adventure, year-round. Our luxury
apartments are steps from world-class skiing, diverse hiking terrain, epic
climbing, and so much more. Contact us today to learn more.