Play with your food: graduation party food ideas

Graduation…a time to imagine, wonder, dream…and eat! After the ceremony ends and the caps are thrown, that’s when the real party starts! Fill up your guests with these smart and easy graduation party food ideas.

Inspired? Create and share by tagging @hallmarkstores.

Cheesy gold star crackers

Cheesy gold star crackers

Give out some cheesy gold stars to your brightest minds with these fast and easy crackers. Tip: They’re even more amazing with a dab of sweet jalapeño jelly.

Queso blanco dip-loma and chips

Queso blanco dip-loma and chips

Chips and queso, a perennial party favorite, rise to the top of the class with our graduation adaptation. Everyone will dig into these little rolled chips and homemade “dip”-loma. Mmm.

Mortarboard cupcakes

Mortarboard cupcakes

Personalize these cute mortarboard cupcakes to reflect your school colors with a few ingredients and a little store-bought icing. Here’s how: Fill mini-cupcake tins about halfway with chocolate cake batter and bake at 325ºF for 7 to 9 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Once cool, turn the mini cupcakes upside down and attach fudge graham cookies with a dab of icing. Tint remaining icing to match your school colors. Pipe on tassels with tinted icing using a small round decorator tip. (We used half blue and half white icing in our decorator bag.) Finish each cupcake with an edible pearl candy. Makes about 30 mini cupcakes.

; Mortarboard Cake

Mortarboard cake

This graduation party recipe incorporates store-bought cake mix and a tassel cake topper, so you won’t have to stay up all night to get a top-notch dessert and table centerpiece. With our easy instructions, you don’t have to be a graduate-level baker to create this yummy graduation dessert.

Jennifer Fujita

Jennifer is a Hallmark writer and culinary student who is always on the hunt for new, easy recipes for celebrating the holidays and seasons.