DIY Homemade Mini Desserts Party Platter

Hello everyone! Happy New Year to all of you!

I had this post written up and scheduled to automatically publish on January 1st, but technical difficulties ensued (as they do once in a blue moon) and the entire post got deleted. So, that night must have seen a blue moon and I am now about to write this for the second time because better late than never, am I right?

For New Year's Eve, I went to a Great Gatsby themed party at my friends' house in Chicago. It was a beautiful evening filled with lots of laughter, eating, and (failed) Cranium playing. Is it just us or is that an impossibly difficult game?!

We all dressed up in the Gatsby roaring 20's theme. I wore a black and white dress (made by my mom) with lace and fringe across the front with long necklaces, stacked bracelets, and a beaded headpiece. I will include a detail shot of the outfit at the end of this post if you're interested/need inspiration for a future themed partayyy.

Moving on to the reason you started reading this post, for the party, I  made a platter of bite-sized desserts using different kinds of chocolates.

I found the compartmentalized platter at the Dollar Store, so that was a steal! Otherwise you could use a large tray and just put each dessert in a bowl on the tray. Also, the chocolate balls in the center compartment of the tray are from the holiday section at the grocery store. I imagine you could find something similar year-round or you could prove to be ultra domesticated and make those yourself too! ;)

Working clockwise starting at the top of the picture, I will tell you how to make each of the items shown above:

Pretzel Reese's Pieces Hugs
Preheat your oven to 200F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and in a single layer, lay out as many square shaped pretzels as you want to make. Then, place a Hershey's kiss on top of each pretzel, unwrapped of course! Bake in the oven for about 4-5 minutes, until the chocolate looks shiny. You don't want the chocolate to start melting! Watch it like a hawk until the kisses are glossy, but still have their original shape. Remove from oven and immediately press a Reese's pieces candy onto each kiss. And voila! Easy as pie...well I'd say it's way easier than pie actually!

Polka Dot Rice Krispies
For these, you will either need to make your own rice krispy treats or buy already made ones. Cut them into small bite-sized pieces and dip them half-way into the melted chocolate of your choice. Immediately press Reese's Pieces into the chocolate before it hardens to create a polka dot design.

Belgian Chocolate Truffles
Ok ok, these truffles are the more ambitious element of the platter. Who better to teach you how to make Belgian chocolate truffles than a Belgian chef? You can find Chef Eddy Van Damme's recipe by clicking here.

White Chocolate Sparklies
Simply dip one side of square pretzels into white chocolate and sprinkle with some gold edible glitter. I have a slight obsession with Nestle Tollhouse white chocolate morsels. It's so smooth and the crunch from the glitter complements it very well! The sparkle is very Gatsby bling!

Pumpkin Spice Bites
Again using rice krispies, witha knife, cut the krispies into cubes and dip just the top of each into pumpkin spice flavored chocolate. Sprinkle with chocolate jimmies for the finishing touch.

Drowning Gummy Worms 
These gummy worms are drowning, but they don't need a lifeguard to come to the rescue. They are happily drowning in chocolate! Yes, they are as easy to make as they look. Just dip half of each worm into melted chocolate and lay them out parchment paper to cool.

xo Aneela

P.S. All of these treats taste better chilled, so for best results, refrigerate before serving.

P.P.S. As promised, here is a detail shot of my outfit from the Great Gatsby themed party. Darn it, I just realized I forgot to include the headpiece arghhh. Well, I hope you like it anyway and have a great day!