Let’s make a pan dulce charcuterie board!
Okay – I know we’ve all been making pan dulce snack boards since forever, and charcuterie is French. But we’re in a pandemic and I’m just tryin’ to have some fun and share creativity.
I’m sure you have seen those beautiful meat, cheese, and fruit trays that are all over social media, charcuterie or the hilarious “shark coochie” boards are all the rave right now. They are everywhere and like always, I love to give a twist to the trend. I’m sharing sweet charcuterie ideas for your special occasions. If you follow CraftyChica on social media, you might have been the awesome partnership with Bimbo sweet breads. Inspired by my sweet tooth, I knew sweet charcuteries would be a thing, and I’m so delighted about it. Like the Mexican Freak Cake and the Freak Shake, a sweet charcuterie has a fantastic mix of delicious baked goods that can be made for many special occasions.
What is charcuterie anyway? Technically it pertains to a board of different meats. According to this article on myrecipes.com – it is derived from a French term, chair cuit – which means cooked flesh. *Gulp* Back in the days before we had refrigerators, people needed a way to store their meats – mostly bacon, sausage and ham. These days the concept has evolved into a glorified snack tray of meats, cheeses, fruits, and crackers.
But in this case – why not Mexican pastries?
Who’s still with me? Cool idea, right?
Pan Dulce Charcuterie Board
@craftychica DIY pan dulce charcuterie board! #LearnOnTikTok #tiktokpartner #charcuterieboard
Here is a TikTok I made – showing how to make a pan dulce charcuterie board! There are so many types of sweet breads that you can build some amazing boards. I had a blast creating this sweet bread charcuterie board using Bimbo products. The delicious conchas, rolles, mantecadas, bimbuelos, and the rest of the breads from the Bimbo brand make for an epic treat to share with all of your friends and family.
Why packaged pan dulce? Because all during quarantine we couldn’t go to the panaderia, so we shopped from Walmart and bought these and they are delish. This is a way to use them and enjoy them.
You can also buy freshly baked breads from a local panadaria, choose an assortment and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Arrange them on a board and add in little cups of chocolate syrup, whipped cream or cream cheese, fruits, granola, and more! Have fun with it!
Fruit Charcuterie
I would totally put fruit in the sweets category. There are some amazing fruit only charcuterie boards that you have got to try out. Since it’s almost summer time I found this beautiful board with a summer favorite- watermelon! Think of these fruits as artful pieces you can arrange to look beautiful! I love this red and green from the watermelon, combined with the black and white from the dragonfruit.
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Here’s another version!
@kayeatsscharcuterie Use code KAYEATSS15 for 15% off these beautiful lazy susans and charcuterie trays – link in bio! 🍍🫐🍓🥝🍏 #fruit #fruitboard #gourmetbasics
Candy Charcuterie Boards
Of course I had to include candy! There are so many different ways to use candy in a sweet board. You can go all hard candy, or chocolate like the one below. This would be cute to make on small platters and give as party favors, or do different trays, each with its own color theme.
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Who’s down for some chocolate? And here’s an all chocolate idea! This idea is perfect for movie night! you can gather all your favorite theatre snacks and arrange them and set the board out on the coffee table for everyone to nibble.
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Tips for making your own pan dulce charcuterie board!
Think variety! Just like people, each pastry has its own personality and magic. From conchas to abanicos, there is something for everyone!
Use a sharp knife to make clean cuts through the pastries. Brush away any crumbs.
Start with the larger pieces first and decide how to arrange them. You can go traditional and and keep it square or get creative and lay them out diagonally or circular. More pleasing to the eye!
Once you have the larger pieces in place, then fill in with the next size down, like fruit or a little dish of dip.
Add in nuts, sunflower seeds, candy bites in any other open spaces.
If you happen to have a smaller group of friends, just use a dinner plate and size down all the offerings. The idea is to have fun and excite your taste buds. Another idea is to have a gathering and invite your guests to make and bring a board, or even better – have all the ingredients on hand and your guests can make one together!
These look so good and I really liked the chocolate charcuterie boards. I will definitely try to make a charcuterie board.