Thanksgiving Treat Board

Move over pie! There is room for more treats at the table, like this Thanksgiving Treat Board. Wether you hate pie or love it, everybody wants options! I don’t know about you, but I am obsessed with the board trend. Combine that with my love of themes and treats, and the Thanksgiving Treat Board was born.

You can use any board or platter that you prefer, but I absolutely love The Harvest Board. This is their Square Cutie board.

What is on the Thanksgiving Treat Board?

• Caramel Apples
• Swiss Chocolate Macaron
• S’more Cookie
• Sugar Cookie

How to theme a treat

Changing treats from plain or themed is so much fun, and a great creative outlet. Really, whenever a party or holiday is coming up, I find myself daydreaming how I could decorate my treats. You can start simple, like finding cute themed sprinkles to add. Or to up your game, you can look through Etsy and Amazon for themed silicone molds. Pour melted chocolate into those molds, let them set (I set mine in the freezer because I am always in a hurry), and then glue them onto your treats with a bit of melted chocolate or frosting.

Caramel Apples

I changed the caramel apples with a Turkey Chocolate Mold that I found on Etsy. I loved applying this to a caramel apple with the turkey body on front, and the feathers in back. It makes the turkey look extra chubby with a round apple in the middle.

Macarons

Macarons are a fun delicate cookie, and the best part about them is there ability to be piped into any shape! Check out this Swiss Macaron Tutorial and see how I shaped these specific turkeys. You use a template, Etsy has tons! I found this turkey template there.

S’more Cookies

S’more cookies are one of my go to treats to make for parties. They are a crowd favorite, even those people who say they don’t like marshmallows, cannot resist these cookies. I haven’t found a way to decorate these with a theme, but I love to have a mix of some themed treats and some not.

Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are in my opinion the easiest to customize to a theme. I made the cookies look like pie, I wanted to try to decorate a cookie without piping tips, and this is what I came up with. I just used 2 piping bags with a tiny bit of the tip cut off. Start with making red dots for cherries in the middle and then pipe a light brown in a plaid pattern on top, finishing it up with a squiggle on the edge to look like a decorated pie crust.

How to store the leftovers

Each treat has a different storage recommendation. Store the caramel apples in an airtight container, or bag, inside the fridge. They can last up to 3 weeks inside the fridge. Keep the Macarons inside the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. The s’more cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, they can also be frozen for a couple months. Last, the sugar cookies, they are best kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week, or again, you can also freeze these for up to 3 months.

With all of the treats, they are best enjoyed at room temperature, so allow them to sit on the counter for a bit before eating.

Can I make this board ahead of time?

Yes you can! As you can see, some of these treats store for a good amount of time and stay fresh. Specifically the caramel apples, macaron shells and unfrosted sugar cookies. Here is how I would make this board spread out throughout the course of a few weeks.

A couple weeks before – make the macaron shells and sugar cookies. Do not frost them and store them in an airtight container in the freezer.

Anytime the week before – make the caramel apples and store them in an airtight bag or box in the fridge.

A couple days before – make the frosting and frost your macarons & sugar cookies. Store the finished cookies in an airtight container in the fridge.

The day before – make the s’more cookies. Store these in an airtight container at room temperature.

What type chocolate should I use in a silicone mold?

The very easiest chocolate to use when melting is a compound chocolate. I wouldn’t use chocolate chips, because for me, they always seem to melt a bit thicker and harder to manage. The one time I melt chocolate chips is when I am making a ganache and adding cream to the mixture. I would not use a ganache to fill a silicone mold.

The other option is a couverture chocolate, which is tremendous and chocolate in its purest form. The only catch is, it has to be tempered. For me personally, tempering adds stress to the project. If you temper the chocolate incorrectly, you will end up with chocolate that dries with an ashy white polka dot on top. It makes the appearance of your treat not as appetizing. If tempered correctly, it will end up professional looking and tasting. Its up to you! Either compound or couverture works for chocolate silicone molds.