How to decorate holiday desserts with Cadbury Gems

The holiday season is upon us, which means it's time to turn everything around with a few festive touches. From the Christmas tree to the New Year tablescape, a little sparkle goes a long way in spreading holiday cheer. But why stop at decorations when you can also add some merry-making to your festive desserts? This season, take your confection to the next level by creatively using Cadbury Gems to bring joy to the season.

What Exactly Are Cadbury Gems?

For the uninitiated, Cadbury Gems are candy-coated chocolate buttons known as "chocolate beans" in some countries. About the size of a jellybean, these colorful little delights are crunchy on the outside with a smooth, creamy interior. The candy shells come in assorted festive colors like red, green, yellow, purple, and more. They’re perfect for topping all your holiday treats. Santa’s elf bakers must be stockpiling these by the barrelful up in the North Pole kitchens!

Get Creative with Crafting

The decorative possibilities are endless when you add Cadbury Gems to your baking repertoire. Scatter them across your frosted sugar cookies like edible ornaments. Stack them into a quirky Christmas tree atop your show-stopping Yule log. Sprinkle them liberally over your red and green homemade peppermint bark for a whimsical touch. You can even use them to create a winter wonderland scene on your festive fruit pizza or build little gingerbread houses and decorate the yards with jewel-toned candies. They’re ideal for ornamenting your panettone, stollen, muffins, and any other holiday baked goods.

For the 21-and-over crowd, why not garnish your decadent eggnog cheesecake or spiked Yuletide trifle with some fanciful fixings? Generously sprinkle those Gems over whipped cream or create colorful swirl designs for an artistic flair. For an extra bubbly treat, craft a festive candy jewel wreath to encircle the outer edge of your champagne flutes before filling them with sparkling vino or prosecco.

The options for dessert crafting with Cadbury Gems are endless, limited only by your creativity and appetite for sweets!

DIY Edible Ornaments

If you really want to WOW your guests, use Cadbury Gems to create stunning edible ornaments to adorn your dessert platter or tree. Melt some chocolate and use it to “glue” the Gems into round sphere shapes as you cool them on parchment paper. Add an edible gold string when the chocolate sets for easy hanging capabilities. You can go even more elaborate by hand-painting the hardened chocolate globes with metallic food coloring pens or delicate candy bead or sprinkle designs.

For a more whimsical look, shape cooled melted chocolate into quirky gingerbread people forms and decorate with the Gems as edible buttons and facial features. The kids will get a kick out of these funny candy characters peering back at them from amongst the boughs of pine. Adults may appreciate them even more after one too many glasses of spiked nog!

Savory Treats

Of course, Cadbury Gems needn’t be relegated solely to sweet fare. Why not sprinkle them atop your savory dishes too? Scatter them over buttery biscuits or mouthwatering popovers fresh from the oven. Add texture, crunch, and eye-catching color to your creamy holiday casseroles. Mix them into stuffing or rice dishes for a bit of sweet and salty contrast. If you want to get really creative in the kitchen, gently press them into the top of your ham before cloaking in that luscious pineapple and brown sugar glaze. The possibilities are endless when you open your mind and your pantry to the festive fun of Cadbury Gems!

However you choose to incorporate these cheerful Candy Jewels into your holiday celebrations, they’re sure to be the hit of any festive cookie swap, potluck, or dinner party. Just be sure to hide a few sleeves for yourself so you don’t run out before the big day arrives!