This Christmas Buttercream Board is shaped like a Santa hat, made from indulgent buttercream frosting and surrounded by a festive assortment of sweet and savory dippers! It's the perfect way to add some holiday cheer to your Christmas dessert table!

I jumped on the frosting board bandwagon this Fall with my Halloween Buttercream Board. And it's been such a hit that I couldn't resist trying my hand at a Christmas version too!

It's a show-stopping treat that's easy enough to make in minutes! And it looks like it took hours. Just the kind of dessert I love when entertaining a large crowd. It's almost too cute to eat - almost.

What is a buttercream board?

Oh, so you're new to the world of buttercream boards? Well it's pretty much exactly what it sounds like - a dessert board that consists of an indulgent pile of buttercream frosting and various bite sized snacks for dipping!

Sounds a bit... umm... unconventional? it is. But you really can't argue with delicious. And these boards are super fun to make and even more fun to eat - making it totally perfect for a family-friendly treat or entertaining a crowd.

What You Need

Buttercream frosting! Obviously, right? You can make your own homemade buttercream frosting if you're feeling ambitious, or use any store bought buttercream frosting of your choice. If you're making homemade frosting, I suggest using red gel food coloring for the richest color and less mess.

Piping Bags and Tips. I used two piping bags plus two 1M size tips to make the Santa hat. I like to use disposable piping bags for the easiest cleanup, and I love these piping tips because they have the sizes labeled right on them.

Dippers! I used Biscoff cookies, marshmallows, strawberry wafers, and pretzel twists for a sweet and salty combination. Keep reading below for more fun dipping ideas!

A tray or cutting board for serving. You can use a fancy platter if you prefer, but something like a large cutting board or cookie sheet will also work just fine.

How to Make the Santa Hat Buttercream Board - Step by Step

If your artistic skills are anything like mine (nonexistent), you're going to want these step by step photos to make that Santa hat, so here we go!

The first thing you'll need to do is fit your piping bags with those 1M size tips. Then fill one piping bag with your red buttercream frosting and the other with your white buttercream frosting.

Next, begin making rosettes with the red frosting, forming the shape of the Santa hat. While making your rosettes, you will want to hold the piping tip slightly above the board. Do not drag it on the board, or your rosettes will be very flat.

Then using your white frosting bag, add a longer line of rosettes along the bottom side of the hat to make the white "brim".

Finally, finish it off with some stars at the tip of the hat, like a fluffy cotton ball top! You can make the star shapes by squeezing out a little frosting, then stop squeezing and pull straight upwards.

Fill in all the space surrounding the Santa hat with your dippers!

More Dipper Ideas

It's nice to put out a variety of both sweet and savory dippers for a frosting board. Here are some additional ideas:

Any of your favorite cookies - check out my favorite Christmas cookie recipes.
Candy Canes
Crackers
Oreos
Pretzel rods
Fresh or dried fruit
Mini waffles
Air fryer churro bites!
Pound cake (cut into bite sized pieces)

Helpful Tips

Don't make this dessert too far in advance.

The buttercream frosting will harden when left to sit out, so I would not make this more than 1-2 hours in advance of your Halloween party!

Design your own!

You can take this frosting board idea and get as creative as you want. Pick up some green food coloring and try your hand at making a Christmas tree. Or use the plain white frosting to make a snowman with a top hat and a funny face.

Add peppermints!

For some extra flair, try decorating the hat brim with crushed peppermint candies.

More Christmas Recipes

If you love this Santa Hat buttercream board, be sure to check out these other holiday ideas:

Recipe