How to Make a Spooktacular Halloween Charcuterie Board

Scare up a terrifyingly easy spread of sweet and savory nibbles.

halloween-themed charcuterie
Photo: Carson Downing

The rising popularity of creating picture-perfect charcuterie boards over the past few years extended into some of the most unique ways to serve a crowd. Although a classic charcuterie board contains a spread of meat and cheese, there are new takes on "charcuterie" to create intricately-designed boards for every occasion featuring savory and sweet items such as butter, s'mores, and more.

Now that fall is here and Halloween just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about the food you'll want to serve. For a delicious starter, we highly recommend making this adorable Halloween charcuterie board (or charbooterie, if you will). With a little imagination (and next to no cooking), meats, cheeses, and creatures become delightfully spirited creatures. Learn exactly how to make each tasty little monster, mummy, and ghoul below.

01 of 08

Monster Cheese Ball

monster cheese ball
A flurry of shredded sharp cheddar and pimiento-stuffed olives make one hairy beast of a cheese ball. Carson Downing

In a medium bowl combine two 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened; 2 cups finely shredded smoked cheddar, Swiss, or Gouda cheese; 1/2 cup butter, softened; 2 Tbsp. milk; and 2 tsp. steak sauce. Beat with a mixer on medium to high until fluffy, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Cover and chill 4 to 24 hours or until easy to handle. Shape cheese mixture into a ball; roll in 1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese to coat. Add one large pimiento-stuffed green olive, halved, for eyes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.of the way down and push in black nonpareils for the eyes.

02 of 08

Ghoul Sticks

ghoul sticks
Carson Downing

This snack is dead simple: Peel back strands from the top of string cheese one-third of the way down and push in black nonpareils for the eyes. If necessary, use a toothpick to poke holes into the cheese so nonpareils stay in place.

03 of 08

Goat Cheese Ghosts

goat cheese ghosts
Carson Downing

Use a wide knife or sandwich spreader to swipe plain soft goat cheese onto flatbread crackers. Press dried blueberries or currants into the goat cheese for eyes.

04 of 08

Antipasti Creatures

antipasti creatures
A chilling drizzle of creamy Italian dressing forms the mummy “rags” on these summer sausage and olive skewers. Carson Downing

For each skewer, place three 1-inch cubes of summer sausage on a 6-inch bamboo skewer. Add a large pimiento-stuffed green olive. Drizzle creamy Italian dressing back and forth over sausage cubes. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Add two dots of dressing to the olive and attach large black nonpareils for eyes.

05 of 08

Green-Eyed Eggs

green-eyed eggs
Carson Downing

Halve 6 peeled hard-cooked eggs lengthwise and remove yolks. Set whites aside. Place yolks in a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add ¼ cup chopped avocado and 1 tsp. lime juice; mix well. Season with salt and black pepper. Spoon or pipe yolk mixture into egg white halves. Cover and chill until serving time. Top each with one black olive slice and sprinkle with paprika.

Test Kitchen Tip

Place yolks, avocado, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a resealable plastic bag. Seal bag and mash contents to mix. Snip a hole in the corner of the bag and squeeze bag to pipe yolk mixture into egg white halves.

06 of 08

Mummy Straws

mummy straws
Caper “eyes” give prosciutto-wrapped puff pastry the full creepy effect. Carson Downing

Cut thawed frozen puff pastry sheets into 6x1-inch strips; bake according to package directions. After baking, brush warm pastry with melted butter and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese; let cool. Wrap strips of thinly sliced prosciutto around cooled sticks. Add two dots of creamy Italian dressing to one end and attach small capers for eyes.

07 of 08

Mummy Brie

mummy brie
Carson Downing

Stir or melt red pepper jelly until it is drizzling consistency. Using a small spoon, drizzle the jelly back and forth over a wheel of Brie to look like a mummy wrap. Add fresh jalapeño slices for eyes.

08 of 08

Franken-Crackers

franken-crackers
Carson Downing

Subtly sweet chocolate crackers piped with melted chocolate scream, “It’s alive!” To make, break chocolate graham crackers into rectangles. Melt 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips in the microwave according to package directions. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a fine tip. Pipe crisscross eyes and a zipper mouth on each cracker to create a monster face.

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