There is almost nothing more fun in the culinary world for me than making a beautiful cheese board. The thrill of getting everything to fit just so, look gorgeous, and be both exciting, creative and delicious with each unique bite. It’s a staple at every party I throw and I love nothing more than making it themed.

Now cue my favorite holiday: Halloween! Are we combining cheese AND candy? It feels like kismet, even if there’s no party to throw.

Want to put your own together? It’s easy, fun and a great way to appeal to a wide range of palates (ie kids AND adults!). Here are a few rules for cheese boards that I swear by after years of owning a catering company.

Halloween Candy + Cheese Board Suggestions

Cheese: If there are more than 10 guests, I go with three cheeses, typically one soft, one hard, and one a little funky for a talking point or to impress that foodie that always shows up with their homemade bread. With a smaller crowd, which I assume we will all be having this year, I highly recommend saving yourself the trouble and picking classics: one soft cheese and one hard cheese. Think brie and a fun, sharp cheddar. If someone from your pod falls into that food-loving crowd, consider choosing something a little more upscale like Humboldt Fog and Prairie Breeze. If there are several kids, no shame in adding a few cheese sticks or Babybels!
Vehicles (read: crackers!): I love a buttery cracker, but since the candy and cheese are pretty decadent, I went with a lighter cracker to even it out. A good way to look for these are crackers that use phrases like “crisp” and “crunchy” so you know they’re thinner and airier. I lean towards seedy crackers or gluten free options for a good crunch.
Theme: We all know this is a Halloween board, but I used a color theme to bring all of the elements together, highlighting purple, orange and black. That also helped narrow down my food choices!
Spread: Consider a seasonal jam or fall flavor that keeps with the theme. For Autumn, I think of apple butter or fig jam, which are always easy to find at the grocery store. I got wild on this board and made a whipped Rolo chocolate dip. Quick recipe below!
Candy: I say pick your favorites, but we also made it fun by choosing candy and their wrappers that stayed within the theme: purple, black and orange. So I included candy corn, seasonal M&Ms, and fun Kit Kat flavors (green marshmallow and pumpkin spice), and I threw in Halloween Oreos and candy coated pretzel rods to fill in some gaps. My photographer (read: husband) noticed after the fact that we forgot to buy Reese’s pumpkins, which was devastating to say the least. An obvious misstep on our part, but if you want to include some of these on your board in lieu of Reese’s or Oreos, I think it’s a great idea!
Balance: Cheese boards are notoriously decadent, so to counteract the cheese and crackers and candy, I like to find some lighter options for folks to graze on that pairs well with the cheese options. Pictured: grapes, apples, blackberries and oranges.
Garnish: My last tip is to fill in any free space with garnish. I love when boards are on the wilder side, because it makes the guest feel excited to try each element. For this board, I was looking for kid-friendly spookiness and silliness, so I went with mostly inedible garnish (plastic spiders, skeleton hands, eyeball gumballs, and mums), but you can’t go wrong with the classic fresh herbs (think rosemary, lavender, or thyme) or edible flowers to doll up the white space. This step is a great way to add color to a classic cheese board that can tend to lean a little more beige.

Whipped Rolo Chocolate Dip

Ingredients

6 ounces Rolos, roughly chopped
4 ounces heavy cream
2 ounces salted butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese
caramel sauce or chopped Rolos, for garnish

Process

Pour chopped Rolos into a small, wide bowl. In a separate microwave-safe bowl or liquid measuring cup, heat heavy cream in microwave in 20 second increments until bubbling. Pour over Rolos and let sit for two minutes. Using a fork, gently stir from the middle until chocolate and caramel are fully incorporated into cream and chocolate mixture is shiny and smooth. Fold in edges so all is homogenous. Let cool to room temperature.

In a separate bowl, whisk together butter and cream cheese using a hand mixer. Once combined and a little fluffy, pour chocolate mixture into bowl and whisk on medium for 3-5 minutes, or until light and airy and fully incorporated. Pour into a serving bowl, drizzle caramel or rough chop a few Rolos to add as garnish on top, and serve immediately.

If making in advance, cover and store in refrigerator. Take dip out of fridge an hour before and let come to room temperature before serving.