Deck the halls with this festive Christmas tree buttercream board. Life is too short.

Eat the buttercream board! A colorful Christmas Tree decorated with buttercream frosting and candies.

Then graham crackers, sugar cookies, and more are all around this dessert board.

Dive in and scoop up some frosting and enjoy all the sweet flavors.

Deck the halls with all things folly and buttercream!

Okay, maybe not. But what about making a festive holiday board with buttercream and all the holiday sprinkles and treats?

Christmas Tree boards are great for a fun holiday appetizer, and this one is perfect if you love sweets.

What is a buttercream board?

A buttercream board is like a dessert board or grazing board.

This is a buttercream frosting that is piped onto the board.

Then cookies and other dippers are placed all around the board.

It is a festive way to serve a treat for family or friends.

How to make a Christmas Tree Buttercream Board

What You Will Need

Powdered sugar. Be sure to sift powdered sugar at least once. If your powdered sugar still has lumps after the first sift, feel free to do it twice!

Unsalted butter. We choose unsalted butter to manage this recipe’s sodium content and salt flavor. Be sure to set out the butter 30 minutes before using it. You can cut the butter into smaller chunks to speed up the process.

Heavy cream at room temperature.

Pure vanilla extract. We used pure vanilla extract to elevate the flavor of the buttercream.

Kosher salt. For this recipe, we choose to use kosher salt to elevate the flavor profile of the buttercream icing. Kosher salt enhances the flavor of a recipe rather than making it taste salty. There is also no iodine or other additives that can create a bitter taste in desserts.

I have assorted food coloring. You want to use bright food coloring to achieve bright Christmas colors. This Christmas board uses neon green, black, and yellow food coloring.

Assorted cookies and hardshell candies. This is where you can have fun and be creative. Feel free to use your favorite holiday treats.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Assembly Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Total servings: 10-15 people

Ingredients:

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup heavy cream, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Neon green, black, and yellow food coloring
Assorted cookies
Hardshell candy or your choice of colored candies

Equipment needed:

Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Mixing bowl
Hand mixer

How to make the buttercream frosting

To make the buttercream icing, use a large mixing bowl and a hand mixer on low speed to mix one cup of room-temperature unsalted butter, ¼ cup room-temperature heavy cream, two teaspoons pure vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt.
Once combined, add 4 cups of sifted powdered sugar.
Once the mixer combines the ingredients, increase the speed to high and continue to mix until fluffy. You may need to add one teaspoon of heavy cream until you achieve your desired fluffiness. If the icing is too thin, gradually add one teaspoon of powdered sugar until you have reached your desired thickness.

Directions on putting your board together

Divide the icing, reserving ¼ cup of icing for the yellow star and ¼ cup for the black wire on the Christmas tree. The remainder of the buttercream icing will be for the green Christmas tree. Color the icing with the appropriate color.
Fill each piping bag with the proper color, and grab your charcuterie board or tray of choice.
Next, take the green icing and design your Christmas tree on the middle of the board. Using the yellow icing, make a star to top the tree. With a smaller piping tip, pipe a black “wire” for your “lights.” Finish the tree by adding hard shell candy in an irregular pattern to create the “lights.”
Finally, add your favorite assorted cookies and dip them into this yummy buttercream board!
Serve and ENJOY!

Expert Tips:

Take care when adding the food coloring for the icing. Adding too much color can make the icing bitter.
Make sure your charcuterie board is sealed, as the darker food coloring could stain the board.
Place parchment paper on your board before adding the frosting and holiday treats.

How to store Christmas Tree Board

This holiday recipe is best consumed in one sitting.

If you have leftover frosting, it’s best to discard it.

You can place the remaining cookies and treats in an airtight container and store them at room temperature.

Can I make substitutions?

You may use store-bought buttercream icing to simplify this Christmas tree buttercream board.

Or you can use any of your favorite homemade frostings.

Make sure it is a frosting that can be piped; this way, you get the right shape of the Christmas tree.

What if my buttercream isn’t too thick?

Adding in extra powdered sugar will help to thicken up the frosting.

Make sure to add a little at a time, and then whip to get it nice and creamy.

What if my powdered sugar is lumpy?

If your powdered sugar has quite a few lumps, I recommend sifting the sugar before whipping it up.

It will help create a great texture for your frosting.

How to soften butter quickly?

If you forgot to set out the butter, here is a way to soften it faster.

Pour boiling water into a ceramic cup. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes, then dump the water.

Put the hot glass over the butter and let it sit for a few minutes.

Repeat until the butter is softened. Make sure the butter is covered in the glass.

Now all you need to do is print out the recipe below and go to the grocery store to get all your ingredients!

Merry Christmas!

Find more holiday sweets:

Turkey Buttercream Board

Peppermint Board

White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Bites

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip & Candy Cane Buttercream Sandwiches

Hot Chocolate Cocoa Board