Hanukkah Hot Chocolate Board

Disclaimer: This post is part of a larger paid sponsorship with Crate & Barrel. Opinions and creative direction are my own.

You all KNOW how much I adore hot choc (that’s “hot chocolate” to you). Well, this board I put together as part of my 2021 tablescape with Crate & Barrel might be my new favorite way to serve it: on a Hanukkah hot chocolate board! It’s easy to throw together, super cute, and very on-theme for the holiday. Add an electric kettle nearby filled with milk or water, a few cute mugs, and you’re good to go.

I’ve shared so many boards here over the years—this Hanukkah-ready cheese board, two blue-and-white candy boards (here and here), a latke board…the list goes on. This one’s similar in that it follows the same basic board rules I’ve laid out time and again:

Start with an actual board! Seems obvious enough, but I feel like people tend to opt for dinner plates and curved platters, and then they feel frustrated when their boards don’t come together quickly. While the dinner plate thing is totally allowable and within your creative rights (you do YOU), it does tend to make things tricky. You’ll have a hard time placing things in a pretty, flat, single layer if the edges of your surface are sloped. Instead, I recommend investing in a few flat platters or cutting boards that you can use specifically for boards like this. Aka literal boards. I wish you could see more of the stunning French Kitchen Marble Platter I used here—it has the loveliest, barely there blue tones, sophisticated dark grey veining, and is without a doubt the prettiest marble platter I’ve owned. (I own a freakish amount of marble platters.) I also love the size—it’s 16″ long, so it’s not too huge or heavy, but sizable enough to hold all the toppings your heart desires. I’ve been keeping it on my kitchen counter while it’s not in use.
Plate a few items into bowls. I love the mix of the organic spillage (SPILLAGE!) paired with the tidier, in-bowl elements. Here, I used a few tiny vessels from Crate & Barrel—the Mercer Denim Mini Bowl (this color is everything), two Porcelain Mini Round Grip Dishes, the Mini Oval Sauce Dish, and the Tilt 5.5″ Small Bowl.
Edible flowers are your friend(s)! I always say this. It’s true. And I felt like I should include it here because it’s technically one of my go-to board considerations. But it doesn’t totally apply here. BUT…
…garnishes in general are your friend(s)! Indeed! And they don’t even have to be edible. (Unless you have kids around; then everything on your board should absolutely be edible because non-edible items are a choking hazard.) I threw on one of these pretty Small Glitter Starburst Decorations and a few silver dreidels from a lovely Jewish small business, Peace Love Light Shop (they have a really nice matte finish and look so sophisticated—I use them every year).
Try to fill in all the “gaps” on your board. Visible empty holes and other “negative space” sometimes looks sparse and might even make your guests worry that you don’t actually have enough food for everyone. I think it’s usually better to aim for a lush, bountiful sort of vibe. You don’t have to stretch your budget to make that happen, though! You could also just use a smaller board.

As always, you can shop this entire project below—and if you end up getting inspired by this, let me know over on IG!

P.S. There’s lots of other Hanukkah inspiration on the blog right now! I’ve got Hanukkah quotes, Hanukkah poems, dessert ideas, cocktails, and tons of other Hanukkah ideas—hope they’re all helpful and inspiring to you.