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Dia de los Muertos Candy Skulls
It’s not a proper Dia de los Muertos party without some homemade, colorful sugar candy skulls! Every year I like to involve my children as we celebrate the Day of the Dead by either making a recipe or a craft to celebrate the occasion. This project we incorporated both – a tasty treat and a colorful craft project all in one!
Who else is excited for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)? This is a holiday my family and I look forward to every year. It’s a great way to reflect and remember all the happy memories you have with your loved ones who have passed away while taking the the time to share stories with your living familia.
You don’t have to visit their gravestone to do this! Yes, you can celebrate and honor them in your own home with a homemade altar, some traditional Mexican recipes, and these fun Dia de los Muertos candy skulls.
You might remember our sugar skull decorating party where my children, cousins, and friends decorated sugar skulls and placed them on an altar to honor their departed loved ones. If you haven’t read that blog post I encourage you to read about it and watch the video. (I’m proud to say it is an Emmy award winner!)
This Day of the Dead craft is very similar, but unlike traditional sugar skulls that are not edible, this version is made of candy and are totally edible. (And totally cute!)
Delicious Day of the Dead Decorations
These Dia de los Muertos candy skulls are the perfect craft for small hands and they make the cutest toppers to place on store-bought cupcakes. But before you top your cupcakes, let your children decorate their very own skulls with brightly colored icing, sprinkles, and candy flowers.
We found skull silicon molds at a crafts store, along with all of the frosting and supplies, but you can also buy it online.
The designs on each skull are small and detailed, so we recommend getting the smallest frosting tips available. A small dollop of frosting will also ensure that the decorations are secure. Toothpicks are also useful with achieving these intricate designs.
Just make sure that all of the Dia de los Muertos candy skull decorations are edible. (They tend to disappear in one bite!)
Key Ingredients
The best part of this DIY edible candy skulls recipe (other than how they’re a craft and treat all in one) is that they only require a couple food ingredients and some standard baking supplies.
Food-wise, you’ll need white chocolate candy melts, candy flowers, sprinkles, a variety of colored frosting, and homemade or store-bought cupcakes for serving. You could also use vanilla frosting with assorted food coloring instead of the multiple containers of frosting.
As far as the decorating supplies, you’ll need:
- A silicone skull mold
- Six frosting tips
- Six frosting couplers
- Another six frosting bags (all to prevent the frosting colors from mixing)
How To Make
- Melt the chocolate candy melts. Pour into skull mold and allow to dry, according to package instructions.
- For the frosting, cut a small hole in the empty frosting bag. Then, drop the tip and the ringed coupler inside of the bag. Secure the remaining piece of coupler on the outside of the bag. Carefully fill each bag with the frosting colors.
- Now, it’s time to decorate! Carefully remove candy skulls and apply the decorations. Adhere the flowers and sprinkles with a small drop of frosting. Use a toothpick to do the smaller, intricate work.
- Serve by placing your Dia de los Muertos candy skull atop a frosted cupcake or any other dessert of your choice!
Storage and Freezing Instructions
- Store the decorated Dia de los Muertos candy skulls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- Freeze them in an airtight, freezer-safe container or plastic bag for up to 3 months. Choose the container wisely, as you don’t want them getting crushed or broken.
- Keep in mind that they’ll likely condensate while thawing from being frozen, so keep that in mind when planning to re-serve.
Serving Suggestions
I love serving these Dia de los Muertos candy skulls as toppers for cupcakes, layer cake, or mini bundt cakes, but they can also be enjoyed on their own as candies.
Are you hosting or attending a Dia de los Muertos celebration and looking for more recipes to make for the occasion? Your family and friends (both living and deceased) would love any of these delicious recipes:
- Marigold Muerte Drink
- Spicy Roasted Pepitas
- Cinnamon Apple Pork Chops
- Poblanos Stuffed with Chorizo and Chayote
- Pan de Muerto
- Pumpkin Spice Tamales
- Atole de Vanilla
- Marranitos
- Easy Chicken Mole
- Double Pecan Thumbprint Cookies
Frequently Asked Questions
These Dia de los Muertos candy skulls are made from edible melting white chocolate candies and frosting, while the traditional sugar skulls are made from water, granulated sugar, and meringue powder.
I highly recommend it because it’s the best way to get a three-dimensional skull shape, and silicone molds are the safest way to remove the candy without breaking it. However, if you’re in a pinch you could use a piping bag to make a flat, one-dimensional skull shape by hand and decorate it that way. Keep in mind that these will be more brittle and less traditional.
This is a fun and delicious craft anyone of any age can enjoy! It’s a great activity for the whole family to take part in, and it’s safe for kids because everything is edible. Have fun with it!
Absolutely! Even if you don’t celebrate or participate in the Day of the Dead, you could use this as a base recipe for making your own candy skulls for Halloween. Just decorate them in your preferred style! Serve with my spooky Halloween cheese board and some Mexican hot chocolate.
More Dia de Los Muertos Resources
- How To Make a Dia de los Muertos Flower Crown
- Dia de los Muertos Celebrations
- How To Make a Dia de los Muertos Altar
- How To Make Sugar Skulls for Dia de los Muertos
- What To Teach Your Children about the Day of the Dead
- Sugar Skull Decorating Party
- La Calavera Catrina
- Mercury Glass Votives
- DIY Pompom and Tassel Garland
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Dia de los Muertos Candy Skulls
Ingredients
- skull silicon mold
- candy melts
- 6 frosting colors
- 6 frosting tips
- 6 frosting couplers
- 6 frosting bags
- cake decorations
- candy flowers
- cupcakes, optional
Want to save this recipe?
I’ll email this recipe to you, so that you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- Melt the candy melts according to the instructions on the package. Pour into skull mold and allow to dry, according to package instructions.
- For the frosting, cut a small hole in the empty frosting bag. Drop tip and the ringed coupler inside the bag. Secure the remaining piece of coupler on the outside of the bag. Carefully fill each bag with the frosting colors.
- Carefully remove candy skulls and begin decorating. Apply decorations and adhere flowers with a small drop of frosting.
- Place your skull atop a frosted cupcake or any other dessert of your choice!
Notes
- We found skull silicon molds at a Michaels Store, along with all of the frosting and supplies. Or you can buy them online here: Skull Candy Mold.
Photography: Jenna Sparks / DIY: Thrifty Rehab
Originally published: October 2018.
One Comment on “Dia de los Muertos Candy Skulls”
The skulls are so cute. The kids have such fun decorating these crafts every year, a beautiful thing to do and to keep the tradition going.