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Halloween Cheese Board
By Snejana Andreeva
on Oct 22, 2022, Updated Oct 11, 2023
Alright, are you ready to upgrade your Halloween 🎃 party game with a spooky twist? This 10-minute spooky Halloween Cheese Board 🧀 is an absolute showstopper. If you’ve seen the viral butter 🧈 board trend (check out my original butter board , you’re in for a treat) but here we’re taking it up a notch. With just a few simple ingredients and some creative flair, you’ll have a masterwork to amaze your guests.
- Why You’ll Love Halloween Cheese Board
- How To Prepare Halloween Cheese Board
- Nonna’s Spooky Tip
- Substitutions and Variations
- Other Halloween Recipes
- Common Questions
- Halloween Cheese Board Recipe
Why You’ll Love Halloween Cheese Board
You’ll adore this spooky Halloween Cheese Board because it’s a quick, creative, and visually captivating addition to your Halloween gatherings. In just 10 minutes, you can transform basic ingredients into a stunning centerpiece. Plus, you have the flexibility to choose your favorite cheese base. It’s perfect for creating a playful and eerie atmosphere at your Halloween party, leaving your guests amazed.
How To Prepare Halloween Cheese Board
- Create the Cheese Base 🧀: Begin by taking your goat cheese (or a suitable alternative) and artfully smear it onto a wooden 🪵 board or plate . So the key here is to make it look inviting and visually appealing, by layering it in elegant swirls 🌀on the serving surface.
- Spooky 👻 Jam: In a separate bowl, mix the cherry jam with red food coloring . Then, using a spoon, add dollops of it onto the cheese board.
- Eerie Decor 🕷: Place those creepy spiders and candy eyes strategically on your board.
- Serving Knives: Complete your board by adding Halloween-themed butter knives. Whether they’re eerie or simply stylish, these knives add a functional and thematic touch to your cheese board.
- Personalize and Enjoy: Feel free to let your creativity run wild by adding any other spooky props that match your Halloween theme. After all, it’s all about making it your own.
Nonna’s Spooky Tip
If you don’t have a new board, you can make this in a plate or add a piece of parchment paper onto the board before spreading on the creamy cheese.
Substitutions and Variations
Embrace the creative possibilities and make it your own while accommodating dietary needs and thematic preferences.
- Cheese Base: You can use goat cheese, ricotta, cream cheese, or butter as your base, which provides diverse flavor and texture options.
- Jam Options: Experiment with various red jams like raspberry or strawberry for a different fruity twist, or try alternatives like my cranberry sauce recipe.
- Decorative Elements: Get creative with edible additions, such as seasonal fruits like grapes and figs or savory choices like black olives or gherkins.
- Dietary Preferences: Accommodate dietary restrictions with gluten-free crackers or bread, or include vegan cheeses and jams for plant-based guests. Also, you could make this low-carb by offering sliced vegetables as dippers.
Other Halloween Recipes
- Mummy Hot Dogs
- Frankenstein Kiwis
- Witch Finger Cookies
- Chocolate Bats
- Pretzel Broomsticks
- Halloween Cocktails
Common Questions
You can absolutely personalize this recipe with any toppings you personally love, such as other preserves or jam.
Feel free to use any creamy cheese like Boursin, and for those looking for a vegan option, you can also make this board entirely vegan by using plant-based cheese.
The cheese should have a soft texture for easy spreading, and you can use any type of serving board you have at home. Even a regular plate can work. In my case, I used a small wooden board, measuring 9 inches in length and 7 inches in width.
Yes, if you’re not keen on spreading the cheese directly on the board, you can also use a small piece of parchment paper as an alternative.
Certainly. The spiders are primarily used for presentation, while it’s important to note that the candy eyes are edible. However, please exercise caution as they can be quite hard on the teeth.
I purchased the spooky Halloween knives from Winners a few years back. However, if you wish to source them, you can look online for Halloween butter knives as an alternative option.
A New Recipe Card!!
- Check off each step in instructions!
- Add ingredients to your shopping list!
Video
Equipment
- ▢ Wooden Board
- ▢ Halloween Cheese Knives
Ingredients
- ▢ 250 grams goat cheese , ricotta, cream cheese, or butter work as well
- ▢ ⅓ cup cherry jam , any red jam works
- ▢ red food coloring , start with 20 drops until it’s a nice dark red
- ▢ spider , for presentation
- ▢ candy eyes , for presentation
Instructions
- ▢ Take the goat cheese and smear it onto a wooden board or plate. Be sure to make it look presentable and add some swirls as you layer the cheese onto the board.
- ▢ In a separate bowl mix the cherry jam with the food coloring. Take a spoon and add dollops onto the board.
- ▢ Add spiders and candy eyes for presentation. Lastly, stick a few butter knives into the board. Mine are Halloween themed, but you can use any butter/cheese knife you have on hand. Enjoy!
My Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Halloween Cheese Board
Equipment
- Wooden Board
- Halloween Cheese Knives
Ingredients
- 250 grams goat cheese ricotta, cream cheese, or butter work as well
- ⅓ cup cherry jam any red jam works
- red food coloring start with 20 drops until it’s a nice dark red
- spider for presentation
- candy eyes for presentation
Instructions
- Take the goat cheese and smear it onto a wooden board or plate. Be sure to make it look presentable and add some swirls as you layer the cheese onto the board.
- In a separate bowl mix the cherry jam with the food coloring. Take a spoon and add dollops onto the board.
- Add spiders and candy eyes for presentation. Lastly, stick a few butter knives into the board. Mine are Halloween themed, but you can use any butter/cheese knife you have on hand. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Halloween Cheese Board https://themodernnonna.com/halloween-cheese-board/ October 22, 2022
Home › Recipes › Cookies & Snacks
Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
By Snejana Andreeva
on Dec 15, 2022, Updated Nov 08, 2023
My lemon cheesecake thumbprint cookies melt in your mouth . This recipe is one of those recipes that you’ll need to triple, because it’s THAT good. 🍋Whether you’re a lemon lover or simply looking for a unique and delicious cookie, these Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies are a must-try. They’re perfect for any occasion, from a casual afternoon tea to a fancy dessert spread.
- Why You’ll Love Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
- How to Prepare
- Nonna’s Tip 🍋
- Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies Variations and Substitutions
- Other Holiday Recipes
- More Holiday Cookies
- Common Questions
- Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
Why You’ll Love Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
These lemon cheesecake thumbprint cookies are ideal for anyone who cannot tolerate 🥚 eggs as they are completely egg-free . The dough takes 5 minutes to whip up, so these cookies are easy enough for anyone who is not even a baker. They’re only 5 ingredients , which you probably already have on hand. I can honestly say that this is one of those cookie recipes that you cannot get enough of.
How to Prepare
🥣 Use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand-held mixer and bowl to cream butter and cream cheese for about 2 minutes until smooth.
🍋 Add sugar and lemon extract and mix until smooth . Then add flour, and mix until a sticky dough forms. Scrape down the sides to fully incorporate any remaining flour.
🧊 Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
🥄 Remove dough from the refrigerator, use a small ice-cream scooper to portion the cookies, rolling each in a touch of flour to prevent sticking.
🍓 Place rolled cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper . Flatten each with your thumb, creating an indent, and add a teaspoon of preferred jam/preserve to the center.
🔥 Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake the lemon cheesecake thumbprint cookies for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are light and golden brown .
❄️ Allow the cookies to cool completely and optionally dust with icing sugar. They can be stored at room temperature for up to a week.
Nonna’s Tip 🍋
You MUST refrigerate the cookie dough for at least one hour and you have to use a touch of flour to roll each one as they will stick.
Lemon Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies Variations and Substitutions
- Try adding a decorative topping like chopped nuts or a sprinkle of coarse sugar for holiday decoration.
- I have not tried this recipe with gluten-free flour , but feel free to experiment with a gluten-free 1-1 replacement and let me know how it goes!
- Instead of lemon extract , you could try almond, vanilla, orange or another you have on hand.
- Feel free to experiment with different jams or preserves , for example, you could use strawberry, raspberry, apricot or even marmalade.
- You could try dairy-free or vegan alternatives to the butter and cream cheese if you or your guests have allergies.
Other Holiday Recipes
Antipasti Christmas Wreath
10 mins
Holiday Butter Board
20 mins
Holiday Candy Cane Prosecco
5 mins
Holiday Cheese Board
20 mins
More Holiday Cookies
Looking for an even fancier-looking cookie? Try my puff pastry cookies .
Easy Gingerbread Cookies
3 hrs 23 mins
Italian Amaretti Cookies
25 mins
3 Ingredient Sugar Cookies
20 mins
Shortbread Butter Cookies
27 mins
Common Questions
Feel free to use any jam or preserve you enjoy. I love fig or apricot but you are more than welcome to use any you have on hand.
The lemon extract is optional so don’t worry if you don’t have any on hand. You can also use pure vanilla extract, or almond extract, or leave them plain. Or, if you don’t have pure lemon extract, but still want the flavor, you can also use the zest of a lemon in the recipe.
You MUST refrigerate the cookie dough for at least one hour and you have to use a touch of flour to roll each one as they will stick.
Feel free to freeze the cookie dough tightly wrapped for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and shape as usual.
The cream cheese and butter must be softened in order for the cookies to bake correctly.
You can use salted or unsalted butter. I have made them with both and both results are delicious.
While 1 cup of flour weighs 160g in my kitchen, it might weigh anywhere from 120 to 180g in your kitchen and there’s a few reasons for that. The weight of ingredients may vary due to the brand of ingredients, the brand and style (wet vs dry) of measuring cups and spoons, and the technique for measuring into cups: scooping and leveling versus spooning the ingredients into the cup measure. For best results, go by the weight listed in the recipe.
A New Recipe Card!!
- Check off each step in instructions!
- Add ingredients to your shopping list!
Video
Equipment
- ▢ Measuring Cups + Spoons
- ▢ Mixing Bowls
- ▢ Baking Sheet
- ▢ Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- ▢ ½ cup cream cheese , softened
- ▢ ½ cup white sugar
- ▢ 1 stick softened salted butter
- ▢ 1.5 teaspoons lemon extract , optional if you don’t have any on hand
- ▢ 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour , + 2 extra tablespoons for rolling the balls
- ▢ 18 teaspoons jam , I used fig preserve
Instructions
- ▢ In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese together for about 2 minutes or until smooth. You can also use a hand-held mixer and a bowl as well.
- ▢ Once creamy, add the sugar and lemon extract and mix until smooth. Add in the flour and mix until a sticky dough forms. If there’s any flour on the sides, you can scrape it down and mix again until fully incorporated.
- ▢ Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour. After an hour, take out the dough, remove the plastic and use a small ice-cream scooper to scoop out the cookies. I scoop each cookie, roll it in a touch of flour as it will stick to your hands if you don’t.
- ▢ Repeat this step for all 18 cookies. Place each rolled cookie onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press each one down with your thumb to make an indent. Add a teaspoon of any jam/preserve you like to the middle.
- ▢ Preheat the oven to 350F and bake until the edges are light and golden brown. This should take 13-15 minutes depending on the oven.
- ▢ Let them cool completely and optionally dust with icing sugar. These are perfectly stored at room-temp for up to a week.
My Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
