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The perfect dessert spread for a holiday Polar Express movie party! This fabulous and festive Christmas dessert board is really cute and you’ll have great fun putting it all together. A Polar Express dessert board is a fun activity for the whole family to create together and you can mix and match what you add to personalize yours. It’s a fun hot chocolate charcuterie board if you’re looking for some sweet (and savory) bites to pair with your mug of hot chocolate, or you can serve it as a dessert or as a table centerpiece.

A festive Polar Express dessert board features a delightful assortment of cookies, marshmallows, popcorn, strawberries, candy, and chocolates, all beautifully arranged on a round wooden tray beside a toy train track.

Looking for something tasty to pair with your Polar Express movie night? This fantastic Polar Express dessert won’t let you down!

You might also like to make seasoned jalapeno popcorn, Santa’s hat coconut rum cocktails, Christmas tree cake dip or an antipasto Christmas tree.

A round wooden tray filled with various snacks including cookies, strawberries, chocolates, popcorn, and marshmallows is encircled by a toy train track on a wooden table with scattered tickets—a delightful Polar Express movie night dessert board.

Why You’ll Love It

Fun for the holidays: Whether you’re having a Polar Express party or just looking for fun ideas to make for the holidays, you can’t go wrong with this festive project.
So cute and colorful: This is the kind of table centerpiece you’ll want to take a million photos of and share!
Easy to make and assemble: You can get really creative making your Polar Express theme dessert board. There is nothing complicated you have to do.

A hand holds a stack of small chocolate-covered treats, one filled with cream, against a blurred background of various desserts reminiscent of a Polar Express dessert board.

Polar Express Treat Board Ingredients

A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Hot cocoa cookie cups: Make these hot chocolate cookie cups.
Swiss roll trains: Make these Polar Express Swiss roll trains.
Chocolate chip cookies: I like these Almond Joy chocolate chip cookies.
Vanilla wafer cookies: These sugar-free vanilla wafer cookies are really tasty or you can use regular ones.
Hot cocoa mix: Use your favorite brand or whip up this boozy hot chocolate mix.
Peppermints: Starlight peppermints look the most festive.
Chocolate Chex: Or your favorite cereal.
Train Tickets: These train tickets are a great addition!

A Polar Express dessert board features a tray with an assortment of snacks, including marshmallows, wafers, mini pies, popcorn, chocolate treats, strawberries, and a "Believe" themed ticket in the center.

How to Make a Polar Express Charcuterie Board

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.

Add the Swiss roll trains: Line up your Swiss roll trains around the bottom area of your serving board.
Add more snacks: Next, add the mini marshmallows and hot cocoa mix in little bowls. Add the Chex.
And some more! Add the hot chocolate cookie cups to the top area of the serving board, and then add popcorn, some mini cinnamon rolls and fresh strawberries.
The finishing touches: Fill in the remaining spaces on the Polar Express edible craft board with cookies, graham squares and peppermints.

A round tray with various snacks such as marshmallows, cookies, wafers, popcorn, strawberries, candy, and chocolates is encircled by a toy train track. This Polar Express party dessert board is perfect for the holiday season.

Substitutions and Variations

Different snacks: You can add whatever you want to your festive dessert board – fruit, nuts, candy canes, cereals, trail mix, mini cupcakes – anything goes!
Treats for the grownups: Want to add some extra bits for the adults? Consider bittersweet or dark chocolate squares or shot glasses with festive shots.
Go nuts: Nuts are really good. Choose from candied pecans or walnuts, hazelnuts, chocolate or yogurt coated nuts, or any other kind you want.

A hand holds a partially eaten small pastry filled with chocolate and topped with mini marshmallows. The background is blurred.

Serving Suggestions

To start: Kick off Christmas with an Italian antipasto board.
The main event:  
Serve up a sheet pan turkey breast dinner for your main meal. Or perhaps you prefer holiday roasted chicken.
On the side:
Gouda and cream cheese corn is such a delicious side dish.
To finish: Once everyone’s had their fill of Christmas dinner, it’s time to bring out your Polar Express dessert board and make them all ooh and ahh! And perhaps some cranberry margaritas too.

An assortment of sweets on a Polar Express movie party dessert board, featuring wafer biscuits, chocolate chip cookies, jam-filled cookies, cinnamon rolls, strawberries, chocolates, marshmallows, and a bowl of cocoa mix with a wooden spoon.

How to Store Your Polar Express Movie Party Board

Store: Keep leftovers in separate containers and eat within a couple of days. Anything perishable like the strawberries should be refrigerated.
Freeze: This isn’t freezable.

A Polar Express dessert board featuring a delightful variety of snacks, including cinnamon rolls, strawberries, cookies, wafer biscuits, popcorn, chocolate treats, and peppermint candies.

Top Tips

Add Polar Express tickets and decorations: This train ticket kit is just perfect for adding those super-cute touches!
Add the strawberries last: You can make your dessert board ahead if you like, but don’t add the strawberries until just before serving.
Easier to assemble in place: If you’re making this just before serving, it’s easier to assemble it wherever you plan to serve it rather than carry a big, heavy and loaded platter across the room!

Delight in an assortment of desserts on this Polar Express dessert board, featuring mini cinnamon rolls, wafer cookies, chocolates, marshmallows, chocolate powder, tarts, and strawberries all beautifully arranged on a wooden platter.

Polar Express Movie Night Treats FAQs

Can you use a real train instead of making the Swiss roll train?

Yes – the choice is all yours! This train set would be perfect if you want to take that route.

Can you use different ingredients?

Not only can you use different items on your dessert board but you should have fun and include your absolute favorite candies, nuts, sweet and/or salty treats on there. It’s fun to get creative.

Which items can you prepare ahead?

You can make the hot cocoa cookie cups and Swiss roll train ahead. You can also divide the other ingredients between serving dishes. The only thing it’s best to leave until just before serving are the strawberries, to keep them juicy and fresh.

How much of each ingredient do you need for this Christmas dessert board?

That’s up to you and depends how many people you plan to feed with it and whether you’re making other desserts too. Choose the size of board you think you’ll need and then just use small bowls and dishes for the ingredients. You can, of course, omit anything you don’t want to use and/or add other ingredients.

A round tray filled with assorted snacks like chocolates, cookies, and marshmallows is surrounded by a toy train track on a wooden table, creating the perfect Polar Express dessert board. Golden train tickets and red mugs are placed nearby.

Polar Express Movie Night Dessert Board Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Polar Express Dessert Board

Looking for something tasty to pair with your Polar Express movie night? This fantastic Polar Express dessert won’t let you down!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • First line up your Swiss roll trains around the bottom perimeter of your serving board.
  • Next add in two small bowls of mini marshmallows and hot cocoa mix. Then a small bowl of chocolate Chex.
  • Add in your hot cocoa cookie cups at the top perimeter of your serving board.
  • Add about 1½ cups of popcorn next to the bowl of Chex.
  • Next to the hot cocoa mix bowl, place some mini cinnamon rolls.
  • Above the Swiss roll trains, add in some fresh strawberries.
  • Fill in the remaining empty space with chocolate chip cookies, chocolate covered graham squares, and peppermints, then serve and enjoy.

Notes

Add Polar Express tickets and decorations: This kit is just perfect for adding those super-cute touches!
Add the strawberries last: You can make your dessert board ahead if you like, but don’t add the strawberries until just before serving.
Easier to assemble in place: If you’re making this just before serving, it’s easier to assemble it wherever you plan to serve it rather than carry a big, heavy and loaded platter across the room!

Nutrition

Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 98mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 12IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!
A Polar Express dessert board features a delightful array of treats like chocolate, strawberries, popcorn, cookies, and pretzels encircled by a whimsical toy train track. Four mugs and decorative tickets complete the enchanting scene.

This charming Polar Express dessert board looks fantastic and will be talked about for all the right reasons at your Christmas dinner this year! There’s something for everyone on there including cookies, chocolates, candies, strawberries, and much more. It’s so much fun to make for your Polar Express party or as your Christmas day dessert.

Other Recipes to Try

Bella Bucchiotti

Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.

 

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Recipe Rating




5 from 1 vote

1 Comment

  1. 5 stars
    This dessert board is such a fun holiday activity! It’s easy to personalize, and everyone enjoyed building their hot chocolate charcuterie masterpiece together.