One of the many disappointments last year for many that I know was the serious lack of When is March Madness?. But this year it has been confirmed that it will be happening, so all you basketball fans can rejoice! And what better way to rejoice than with fun and cute basketball food? You really can’t go wrong with delicious appetizers and sides, but if you know me at all, then you know I’m a sucker for cute themes. And what better way to Celebrate March Madness than with a bunch of food that actually looks like basketballs? Here are some ideas to get you started!

• It’s amazing what you can do with a little melted chocolate and candy melts! Make orange cake balls, and drizzle a basketball pattern with black/brown candy melts. Use regular sized Reese’s cups and achieve the same goal- just use orange candy melts on the brown Reese’s! You can dip Oreos in orange candy melts and do the same thing as the cake balls.
• Edible markers can be used in so many creative ways as well! Draw basketball patterns on top of little slider buns. Who doesn’t love a good slider? You can draw a basketball pattern on a Clementine. You can draw them on Nilla Wafers and make little basketball sandwiches using frosting in the middle. So many fun and creative things to do!
• Recreate the court! Bean dip with cheese, tomatoes and olives would be such an easy and tasty way to create your own mini court. You could really do this with any dip that allows you to easily place toppings in the shape of the 3 point line and other court identifiers. It’s up to you if you want to stop there, or go all out and surround your little stadium with a buffet of basketball fans! (Chips, wings, tater tots, sliced veggies- whatever you’ll be snacking on!)
• Pizza basketball. Sliced olives will easily work as you create your basketball masterpiece. And pizza is already round, so SLAM DUNK!
• You can use olives to your advantage again with a cheeseball! Simply cover your favorite recipe in orange shredded cheddar cheese, and use olives to create a basketball pattern. So simple, but a crowd pleaser for sure!
• Make a themed board! I have loved making themed boards for holidays and our Disney nights, and I’m convinced you can make a board for anything- even basketball! You could include a bunch of orange, brown and black snacks. Think- orange M&M’s, cheeseballs, clementines, Cheez-Its, Nacho Cheese Doritos, orange slices, carrot sticks, chocolate chips, Reese’s mini cups, Riesens, raisins, olives, black licorice nibs and even lighter brown items such as pretzels, graham crackers, or Wheat Thins. You could even use Reese’s Pieces as your base “theme”, and throw in some yellow through pineapple squares, popcorn, or mini corn dogs! The possibilities are seriously endless with this one idea.

Does your family participate in When is March Madness?? Do you have any favorite snack traditions? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments below!

    Camille Hoffmann
    Monthly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
    Email the author! camille@dvo.com