Holiday Candy Wreath

Prepare a Holiday Candy Wreath this Christmas and impress both the young and old kids in your home! Using as many red, green, and white candies as you can source, this bright and festive edible wreath is packed full of sweets! Set this up in the middle of your dessert buffet table, right on your kitchen island, or in the middle of your coffee table! Not only is it tasty, but it also doubles as a decorative centerpiece!

Are you hosting a movie or games night at your house this holiday season? Maybe you’re looking for a budget-friendly, quick and easy, make in advance bring along potluck idea! A Holiday Candy Wreath is the perfect thing for those occasions and more! Hit up your favourite candy supply store and load up on your favourite red, green, and white candies! If you can find Christmas-themed candy, even better!

You can literally assemble this wreath in just a few minutes. So, there’s no need to plan ahead and make it in advance, but you most certainly can if you want, because this wreath will last for days! I have some great tips and tricks for you in this post, so please read on!

EDIBLE WREATHS ARE THE CHARCUTERIE OF CHRISTMAS!

Charcuterie boards are everywhere these days, and it seems that there’s a theme for just about everything. With that in mind, why not create wreath-shaped charcuterie boards for Christmastime!? I started out with a few varieties in mind, but the more I thought about it, the more I loved the idea and before long, I had a list of twenty themes. Narrowing it down to 12 was hard, but I managed to put some of the themes aside until next year!

With an abundance of red, green, and white candies in my pantry, and with the help of some cedar branches that I cut from one of our trees, I put together this Holiday Candy Wreath quite quickly and easily. Everything you see in the wreath is available at most larger chain stores, which means all you have to do is assemble it. Christmastime is busy enough as it is! Putting out a nice spread for friends and family shouldn’t add to your holiday stress!

Most charcuterie boards will include thinly sliced meats and cheese too. And, you can certainly add those things to your wreath, but I would not! Keep to sugary sweets and treats for this wreath. Add marshmallows, chocolates, etc., but keep the meats and cheeses for another type of board! I’ve created a series of 12 Edible Wreaths with lots of different themes, so I’m keeping this wreath simple and very on theme.

WHAT IS CHARCUTERIE ANYWAY?

Charcuterie is a French term meaning “flesh” and “cooked.” It is a branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products, such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, and pate, etc. Originally intended as a way to preserve meat before the advent of refrigeration, they are prepared today for the flavours derived from the preservation processes.

Today, when we hear the term charcuterie, most of us immediately know that we are referring to the preparation and artful assembling of arranging items like cured meats, hard and soft cheeses, dried and fresh fruits, vegetables, and crackers or bread on a large wooden board.

Charcuterie has been popular in many parts of Europe for many, many years. In fact, there’s documented evidence of charcuterie being present in ancient Roman times. The popularity of these boards did not catch on here in North America until recently. Now, they’re everywhere! And, I’m going to show you how to make wreath-shaped charcuterie boards specifically for Christmas!

CANDIES!!!!!

You can use any candies that you prefer here. I’m using lots of store-bought candies with varying shapes, sizes, flavours, and brands. The one thing that I do recommend is that you source candies that are individually wrapped, especially if you have concerns about someone else touching everything! I created this board for just us, so I wasn’t concerned about that. Charcuterie boards are meant to be picked at, so if you don’t want everyone’s fingers on everything, surround the board with mini tongs and toothpicks.

In terms of candy, I could only think of one place where I could peruse the rows and select red and white candies that would work well on my board. Yep, I headed to Bulk Barn! As you can see from the photographs, I picked up some Funsorts,  M&Ms, and Spearmint Leaves. But, I couldn’t stop there! Those three types of candy just would not do!

Now, because I live in Canada, I had to support one of my favourite Canadian candy manufacturers! Cottage Country candy has been a favourite of mine for as long as I can remember! Almost every Home Hardware I’ve ever been to will stock these, but you can also find them on Amazon where they have their own store page. For my Holiday Candy Wreath, I picked up a package of Christmas Holly Berries, these chewy, sugar-coated Holiday Bells, and Christmas Candy Corn!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE:

The following is a list of the items needed to prepare a Holiday Candy Wreath. Please keep in mind that the number of items you will need will greatly depend on how many people you are preparing the wreath for. Also, these items are suggestions only. Feel free to switch it up with things that you love, or things that you can find in your local area.

• Old Fashioned Holiday Hard Candies – These are easy to find just about anywhere at Christmastime. I will often buy a tin at HomeSense or Marshalls. You can find them right here on Amazon as well!
• Spearmint Leaves – These were one of my absolute favourite candies when I was young. Actually, I still love them! They’re green and they are leaves, which is perfect for a wreath!
• Funsorts – These are a mixed candy, meaning that they have different colours and shapes. I scooped up a bunch at Bulk Barn and when I got home, I removed the blues, yellows, pinks, and browns. I used lots of the red circular licorice!
• M&Ms – I’m using Christmas M&Ms here. They can be classified as chocolate, but they’re also candy! I always have a bag of mint on hand, because John.e loves them!
• Candy Corn – Cottage Country has these Christmas Candy Corn available!
• Holiday Bells – I got my sugar coated Holday Bells from the Cottage Country store, but you can find these sugary, soft candies almost anywhere at Christmastime!
• Holly Berries – These are so delicious! They remind me very much of jelly beans, so you can use jelly beans as a substitute. Holly Berries can be found here.
• Candy Canes – The ultimate Christmas candy has to be candy canes, so I couldn’t make a Holiday Candy Wreath without them!

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR WREATH BASE

The first thing you want to do is to source a serving plate or bowl. The number of people you are serving and the number of items you have to place on the board will help to determine the size you will need. You can use a cutting board, a charcuterie board, a marble slab, or an old silver-plated tray. In fact, you can build the wreath right on top of your clean countertop too, especially if that is were the rest of your food items will be set up!

Next, using fresh sprigs of edible greenery, such as summer savoury or kale, create a circular pattern on the board. I used cedar branches that I cut from one of our cedar trees. They were washed very well and dried in a salad spinner. Whatever greenery you choose to use, position the sprigs so that the leafy end is pointing out from the center of the board. The wreath size will be determined by how many candies you will be piling onto it, so size the wreath accordingly. It’s always best to make the wreath a little bigger so that the green leaves are not completely covered with the candy. Once you’re happy with positioning those, it’s time to assemble the wreath.

Start by laying down alternating layers of candy. Once you have formed a nice layer or two of candy, start to fill in the gaps. Save the old-fashioned hard candy and the candy canes for last. Unlike the other types of candy used in this wreath, those can get a little sticky. Laying them on top of everything else, and in a single layer, will help to prevent that. Doesn’t it look gorgeous!? And, it takes very little time or skill, doesn’t it!?

MAKE IT AHEAD OF TIME

You can make this Holiday Candy Wreath earlier on the day you are serving it, however, I would not make it a day or two in advance. As previously mentioned, over time, some candy can get a little sticky if left out of its original packaging. That is especially the case for old fashioned hard candy and the candy canes. If you do make it ahead of time, I would not recommend any longer than 2-4 hours. Cover the board closely with plastic wrap and leave it on your kitchen counter. Just be sure to keep it away from somewhere warm, like a fireplace, for example!