This basketball snack board is perfect for watching the NBA Playoffs – don’t miss the action on TNT, TruTV and Max! The sporty board features both semi-homemade and store-bought treats, so you can spend more time rooting for your team than prepping in the kitchen. Almost all of the snacks can be made and assembled on the board a day ahead of time, then covered with plastic wrap until the big game. The only food that needs refrigeration is the basketball-themed cheese slices so add them just before serving.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 12 to 16 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 12 to 16 servings |
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray, for the bowl
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- One 10.5-ounce package mini marshmallows
- 1/2 teaspoon orange gel food color
- 6 cups crisp rice cereal
- 1/2 cup canned vanilla frosting
- 1/4 teaspoon black gel food color
- 2 cups cake crumbs
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup canned vanilla frosting
- 12 ounces orange candy wafers, melted
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
- 24 round orange candy wafers
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
- 24 pretzel snaps
- 12 ounces white candy wafers, melted
- 2 ounces red candy wafers, melted
- 1 cup crisp onion ring snacks
- 1 cup cheese ball snacks
- 2 cups popcorn snack mix
- 20 whole water crackers
- 2 cups black and white candy-coated chocolate balls
- 1/4 cup orange candy-coated peanut butter pieces
- 5 thick-cut slices sharp Cheddar
- 5 thick-cut slices Colby Jack
- 5 thick-cut slices mozzarella
Instructions
- For the crispy rice treat basketball: Grease a 6.5-inch heatproof bowl with cooking spray; set aside.
- Place a large pot over medium heat and add the butter. Cook until melted, about 3 minutes. Add the mini marshmallows. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the marshmallows are melted and incorporated with the butter, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the orange food color and stir to combine. Pour the rice cereal over the marshmallow mixture and fold together using a rubber spatula until the cereal is coated with the marshmallow and consistently orange.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared bowl. Place a small piece of parchment paper over the cereal mixture and press with your palms to pack it into the bowl. Allow the mixture to stand until well set, about 1 hour.
- Gently turn out the crispy treat dome and place it on an 18-inch round platter or tray. Using the back of a butter knife, score lines on the dome, mimicking the black lines on a basketball.
- In a small bowl, combine the frosting and black food color. Stir until well combined. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4-inch piping tip (or snip a 1/4-inch hole in the end of the piping bag). Use the score marks on the crispy treat dome as a guide to pipe black lines of frosting. Let stand at room temperature until the frosting crusts, then gently cover it with plastic wrap; store at room temperature.
- For the basketball cake balls: Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the cake crumbs in a large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the frosting and mix well. Add more frosting a little at a time if the mixture is too dry to roll into balls. Use a cookie scoop (4-teaspoon capacity) to portion the mixture into about 21 balls. Roll each piece into a perfectly round ball between your palms and transfer to the lined baking sheet. Chill for 20 minutes, or until the cake balls are firm to the touch.
- Drop a chilled cake ball into the orange melted candy and turn with a fork to coat. Remove the cake ball with the fork, tapping it on the edge of the bowl to remove excess candy. Return the coated cake ball to the baking sheet. Use a second clean fork to slide the cake ball off of the dipping fork. Repeat the process with the remaining cake balls. Chill for an additional 10 minutes.
- Place the melted semisweet chocolate into a piping bag with a tiny hole cut in the end. Pipe basketball lines onto the cake balls; the chocolate will set almost instantly. Transfer the finished confections to mini cupcake papers. Cover with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container.
- For the basketball pretzel bites: Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the orange candy wafers flat-side up on one of the prepared baking sheets.
- Place the semisweet chocolate in a piping bag with a tiny hole cut in the end. Pipe basketball lines onto the flat side of each wafer; refrigerate 10 minutes or until set.
- Dip each pretzel snap about three-quarters of the way up into the white melted candy; place on the remaining lined baking sheet.
- Place the red melted candy into a piping bag with a tiny hole snipped in the end. Pipe a line of red candy onto the pretzel snaps on the dipped edge. Immediately place an orange candy wafer basketball to one side of the pretzel snaps. Refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes.
- For the other snacks and assembly: Arrange the basketball cake balls on the platter to one side of the center crispy treat basketball. Combine the onion ring snacks and cheese ball snacks and place them next to the basketball cake balls. Pile the basketball pretzel bites next to the onion snacks and cheese balls. Continue working around the board, adding the popcorn snack mix. Tile the water crackers in 2 rows, curving them slightly around the center crispy treat basketball. Combine the black and white candies and the orange peanut butter candies and place them next to the water crackers.
- Using 3.5-inch specialty basketball-themed cookie cutters, stamp shapes from the Cheddar, Colby Jack and mozzarella slices. Add them to the board just before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 14 servings |
| Calories | 1290 |
| Total Fat | 72 g |
| Saturated Fat | 23 g |
| Carbohydrates | 145 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 79 g |
| Protein | 18 g |
| Cholesterol | 64 mg |
| Sodium | 810 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 14 servings |
| Calories | 1290 |
| Total Fat | 72 g |
| Saturated Fat | 23 g |
| Carbohydrates | 145 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 79 g |
| Protein | 18 g |
| Cholesterol | 64 mg |
| Sodium | 810 mg |