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Make this 4th of July Dessert Board, and it will be the hit of the party! Cookies, cupcakes, candy, and a cream cheese spread make an epic dessert charcuterie board that will satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth.
Easy July 4th Desserts
Dessert boards are all the rage lately, and I can see why – it’s a great way to serve a bunch of sweets and treats for a crowd. Plus, it’s a fun way to get creative! I love arranging all of the components to make a festive centerpiece for a party, potluck, or BBQ. It’s like a charcuterie board but it’s sweet instead of savory.
For this July 4th dessert charcuterie board, we’re taking on a Fourth of July dessert theme with all the red, white, and blue treats, both homemade and store bought. It’s a summer dessert perfect for a Fourth of July celebration – the kids and adults will love everything on it.
Homemade Ingredients
- 4th of July Chocolate Chip Cookies – my favorite recipe filled with red, white, and blue candies.
- 4th of July Sprinkle Cookies – the best cookies with red, white, and blue sprinkles.
- Mini Vanilla Cupcakes with vanilla buttercream – you can tint the frosting or use sprinkles on top.
- Use ANY of my 4th of July Recipes – I’ve got so many cookies, cakes, and cupcake recipes on that list.
Store-Bought Ingredients
- Candy: Hershey’s Kisses, M&Ms, Twizzlers, Hot Tamales, Watermelon Rings, Rock Candy (use the red, white and blue theme!)
- Cheese: White Cheddar Cheese, Provolone, and Bella Cheese for a little savory to go along with the sweet.
- Dips: Use a fruit dip, chocolate dip, whipped cream, or marshmallow dip for the fruit, or you can soften a block of cream cheese and top it with jam.
- Fruit: Any fresh berries, like Strawberries, fresh Blueberries, Blackberries and/or raspberries (or use any fruit, but stick to the color theme).
- Other Snacks: White Chocolate Covered Pretzels and Crackers or anything you like
How to Make 4th of July Charcuterie Board
- Use a large tray to assemble your dessert board. I like something with a rim, so everything stays put! A wooden tray or even a large rimmed sheet pan works great.
- Place bowls with candy and dip on the board.
- Start by arranging the larger treats – I like to fan out the cookies on opposite ends of the board and line up the mini cupcakes.
- Once you have the big treats in place, fill in the spaces with the other items.
Variations
You can use this basic ingredient list as a guide and, use candy, sprinkles, and make dessert charcuterie boards for any holiday. You could even use mini pies, your favorite brownie recipe with candies, or red velvet cupcakes. Use cheesecake dip with graham crackers – really anything goes.
Expert Tips
- You can make both kinds of cookies a few days ahead and store them in an airtight container. Then, on the day of the party, just assemble the board.
- To save time, buy some plain mini vanilla cupcakes and decorate them with patriotic sprinkles to dress them up.
- You can slice the cheese into cubes or use a small star cookie cutter to add a little more fun!
- Look for red, white, and blue M&Ms in the seasonal candy aisle once it gets closer to the fourth of July. If you can’t find them, you can also order them online.
- Any candy or fruit that goes with the red, white, and blue theme will work with this board, so feel free to use your favorites to customize the board for your event.
4th of July Dessert Board Recipe
Ingredients
- 4th of July Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 4th of July Sprinkle Cookies
- Mini Vanilla Cupcakes
- White Chocolate Covered Pretzels
- Hersheys cookies and Cream Kisses
- M&M’s
- Crackers
- White Cheddar Cubed Cheese
- Provolone cheese
- Bella Cheese
- Cream Cheese
- Raspberry Jam
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Twizzlers
- Hot Tamales
- Rock Candy
- Watermelon Rings
Instructions
- Grab a large tray. Place dip and small star dish filled with M&Ms on the tray.
- Lay out each type of cookie then fill in remaining space all the other items.
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
• Also, if you are anything like me, I usually will purchase a large bag of M&M’s and then sort out all the colors so then if I am needing a certain color, I can just have that on hand. • If you are wanting to save yourself some time on the day of the party or get together you can easily make these cookies at least 2-3 days beforehand.
• Here is a fun little tip for you- purchase plain mini cupcakes and customize them by adding sprinkles of your choice. This can save you money from having someone else make them and yourself time in the kitchen.
• Add all your favorite holiday-colored fruit and candy to the board of your choice. That is what’s so great about the boards you can customize them to your guest.
• It’s always nice to add a dip to a board- this is a simple dip that I usually will make for each board- you take 1 block of cream cheese and ¼ cup of raspberry jam, that’s it! Give it a try- I promise it’s delish!
Recipe Nutrition
Red, White & Blue M&Ms
You can find these in stores near the holiday, or find them on Amazon.
This 4th of July Dessert Board is perfect for the holiday! It has something for everyone and can be completely customized to your favorite foods!
Love it