Cornucopia Charcuterie Cups
These easy Cornucopia Charcuterie Cups are a tasty Thanksgiving appetizer and festive table decoration, filled with cheeses, meats, fruit and your favorite holiday snacks. They’re fun for the whole family to make and enjoy.
We love finding fun, creative ways to make our Thanksgiving table feel extra special, especially when the whole family can get involved. These easy Cornucopia Charcuterie Cups are a festive twist on a traditional Thanksgiving centerpiece, turning simple bread dough into adorable edible mini horns that double as tasty appetizers and impressive individual place settings.
Shaped by hand and baked until golden, these Cornucopia Cups are filled with your favorite charcuterie-style goodies like cheese, meats, and fresh fruit. Shaping them is fun for everyone to help with, then once they’re baked, the whole family can fill them with their favorite ingredients. These Cornucopia Cups are an easy, playful way to add something delicious to your holiday table – enjoy!
If you like these easy, festive appetizers, be sure to try some of our other favorites. We love this Spinach Dip Holiday Wreath for entertaining and these Mini Brie Pumpkin Wreaths are always a crowd-pleaser.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Customizable for children and adults. These cute and tasty individual snacks are easy to customize with sweet or savory fillings, depending on who you’re serving them to. Make them different every time — they’re a hit with kids and adults, alike.
- Looks impressive on a Thanksgiving platter. With an adorable presentation and festive feel, these elevate a Thanksgiving spread on their own, without any specialty baking molds.
- Dough can be shaped in advance. Saving time is essential around the holidays, so shaping the dough ahead of time helps with dinner prep for the big meal.
- Easy individual portions for grazing tables. The perfect size and ideal to grab and go, these are a great party appetizer and snack for entertaining.
Ingredients
For the Cornucopia Cups:
- Bread Dough: The buttery cornucopia, itself. Use whatever you prefer or have on hand — homemade or Pillsbury French bread Roll both work great.
- Egg Wash: For the egg wash to give the cornucopias a nice golden sheen.
- Cooking Spray: To prevent any sticking.
Ideas For Filling The Cups:
- Fruit: Grapes, strawberries, and blueberries are some of our favorites that are always crowd-pleasers.
- Cheese Cubes: A mix of your favorite varieties.
- Meat: An assortment of slices work great. We love salami, turkey, or ham.
- Herbs: Fresh rosemary sprigs or basil leaves add a festive touch, pop of color and aroma.
How to Make Cornucopia Charcuterie Cups
1. Line sheet with wax paper and line cornucopias carefully so they do not touch during the cooking process.
2. Roll dough ¼ inch thin or unroll dough from can.
3. Using a pizza cutter, cut into thin strips. You want them to be roughly around ¼ inch. (Each cornucopia will need 6-7 strips to create.)
4. Using your foil, start at a corner and mold into cornucopia shape. Foil can be loose and breathable, it doesn’t have to be twisted into a tight form.
5. Lightly spray foil with cooking spray to prevent sticking prior to wrapping with dough.
6. Starting at the point of the cornucopia, start wrapping the foil in the same direction, connecting each piece in a Spiral design around the cornucopia.
7. When you get to your final piece, fold in half and twist the ends together to create a spiral. This will be your decorative opening of your cornucopia.
8. Using your egg wash, attach the spiraled dough over the last layer & tuck in any extra to the bottom.
9. Cook according to the bread directions.
10. Remove and let cool.
Expert Tips
- Make the foil cone sturdy enough to hold its shape. It should hold the cone shape on its own, but without having to pack it too tightly.
- Overlap dough strips slightly. This will prevent the gaps from opening during baking.
- Allow the baked cups to cool before removing the foil. Don’t skip this step! It’s essential to avoid tearing.
- Keep wet fruit separate from the bread until serving. Keeping the moist, wet fruit away from the bread will prevent sogginess.
Variations & Substitutions
- Create a kid-friendly fruit-and-cheese version. Use cubes of cheddar and mozzarella cheese, rolled salami and pepperoni slices for a family-friendly snack.
- Fill with mini sandwich ingredients. Turn these into a savory lunch option with all of your favorite sandwich toppings.
- Use seasonal berries and grapes. To make a colorful holiday display.
- Add small rosemary sprigs. To give the cornucopias a harvest-style presentation.
Storage
You can prep the molds and dough in advance to save time — shape the dough around foil molds the day before, then refrigerate until you’re ready to bake.
You can also bake the cornucopias ahead of time, let them cool, and store in airtight containers until you’re ready to fill and serve. Reheat and refresh in the oven briefly, if needed. Leftover baked cornucopias will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Prep and store any perishable fillings separately in the refrigerator so they’re ready to go, then fill the fresh cornucopias right before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use heavy duty or non-stick aluminum foil and form it into a tapered horn shape by gently balling it together.
Allow the bread to cool, then gently remove the foil. You can carefully and gradually squeeze the foil together so it becomes smaller than the baked bread, making it slightly easier to remove.
Keep any extra wet ingredients, like fresh fruit, separate from the baked horns until right before serving time.
More Easy Holiday Recipes
Cornucopia Cups
Ingredients
- Bread Dough homemade or Pillsbury French bread Roll
- 1 Egg for egg wash
- Cooking Spray
- Preferred Charcuterie Treats such as meats, cheese, fruit, and herbs
Instructions
- Line sheet with wax paper and line cornucopias carefully so they do not touch during the cooking process.
- Roll dough ¼ inch thin or unroll dough from can.
- Using a pizza cutter, cut into thin strips. You want them to be roughly around ¼ inch. (Each cornucopia will need 6-7 strips to create.)
- Using your foil, start at a corner and mold into cornucopia shape. Foil can be loose and breathable, it doesn’t have to be twisted into a tight form.
- Lightly spray foil with cooking spray to prevent sticking prior to wrapping with dough.
- Starting at the point of the cornucopia, start wrapping the foil in the same direction, connecting each piece in a Spiral design around the cornucopia.
- When you get to your final piece, fold in half and twist the ends together to create a spiral. This will be your decorative opening of your cornucopia.
- Using your egg wash, attach the spiraled dough over the last layer & tuck in any extra to the bottom.
- Cook according to the bread directions.
- Remove and let cool.
Notes
- Prep the molds and dough in advance to save time — shape the dough around foil molds the day before, then refrigerate until you’re ready to bake.
- You can also bake the cornucopias ahead of time, let them cool, and store in airtight containers until ready to fill and serve. Reheat and refresh in the oven briefly, if needed.
- Leftover baked cornucopias will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Prep and store any perishable fillings separately in the refrigerator so they’re ready to go, then fill the fresh cornucopias right before serving.
