Ingredients
Scale
Cheeses:
- 8 oz (225 g) brie round
- 4 oz (115 g) soft-ripened cheese (e.g. Le Pico, goat cheese, or Camembert)
- 2 oz (55 g) blue cheese (e.g. Stilton)
- 2 oz (55 g) hard cheese, cubed (e.g. Cacio di Bosco or Manchego)
- 2 oz (55 g) fresh mozzarella pearls
Meats:
- 3 oz (85 g) thinly sliced capicola
- 6 oz (170 g) thinly sliced spicy salami (e.g. chorizo Ibérico)
Fruit, olives, and nuts:
- 8 fresh figs, halved
- 1 cup (150 g) Castelvetrano olives
- ¾ cup (110 g) blackberries
- ½ cup (75 g) dried apricots
- ½ cup (50 g) walnuts
Snacks and crackers:
- ¾ cup caramel corn
- ¾ cup fall-colored trail mix
- ½ cup small cheese crackers
- ⅓ cup candy corn
- 1 box (4 oz / 115 g) water crackers
- 1 package (4 oz / 115 g) crispy toasts
- 8 mini spiced cookies
- Handful of Halloween-shaped potato snacks
Toppings:
- ¼ cup (80 g) raspberry preserves
- ¼ cup (40 g) pomegranate arils
Decorations (optional):
- 2 small decorative pumpkins
- Plastic spiders, skulls, and skeleton hands
- Candy eyeballs
- Seasonal flowers
Instructions
- Cut. Use small Halloween cookie cutters to cut shapes from the cold brie.
- Anchor. Arrange the pumpkins, skulls (if using), cheeses, and brie shapes on a large board.
- Meats. Fold or roll the salami and capicola into piles between the cheeses.
- Fill. Tuck figs, olives, berries, apricots, and walnuts into the gaps, then fill in with crackers, snacks, and cookies.
- Blood. Spoon the raspberry preserves over the soft cheese and top with pomegranate arils.
- Eyeballs. Press candy eyeballs onto the mozzarella pearls.
- Decorate. Finish with the ghost and bat snacks, decorations, and flowers. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Cutting brie: Keep it cold while cutting, then let the shapes come to room temperature before serving.
- Cutter tip: Brie is often taller than cookie cutters. Use a paring knife to trim around the cutter.
- Guests’ tastes: Choose meats and cheeses your guests enjoy. Deli turkey is great for kids.
- Food safety: Don’t leave cheese and meat out for more than 2 hours.
- Make ahead: Assemble the cheeses, meats, and fruit up to 1 hour ahead. Add the crackers just before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Snack
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American