Nom Nom: Sugar Skulls

Yes, Dia de los Muertos was yesterday. We know because we were busy becoming one year older and, thus, one year closer to death. But, seeing as we’re only just now getting started on candy corn we collected two Halloweens ago, we figure there’s still plenty of time to go ahead and whip up your own batch of sugar skulls to celebrate.

So let’s get to it:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 egg white from an extra large egg, or 2 from small eggs

1 teaspoons light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

C

ornstarch, about a half cup, for powdering surface

Colored sprinkles

Food coloring

Fine paint brush

Colored icing

Candy sticks (optional)

By candy sticks, we think they mean something like wooden skewers for kebabs. Not sticks made of delicious candy, as we had hoped.

Directions:

Sift sugar into a large mixing bowl.

In another bowl, mix the egg whites, corn syrup and vanilla.

Slowly pour the liquid into the powdered sugar. Mix with your hands until a sandy dough forms.

Form dough into a ball. At this point you can continue or you can refrigerate dough for later use.

Lightly dust surface with cornstarch as well as your hands. Pinch off a heaping tablespoon of dough and shape it into a skull.

Press the candy sticks into the bottom of each skull.

If you’re using them, lightly press colored sprinkles into the soft candy.

Let the candy dry overnight.

When candy is dry, use the paint brush with food coloring to decorate the skulls. Or you can use frosting (one that will dry hard) with a find tip to decorate them.

Hand them out as is, or wrap in a small cellophane bag tied closed with a small ribbon.

Or lob them at family and friends with careless abandon. You can also decorate them in red, white and blue for the upcoming election, if you’re so inclined. Another fun use for sugar skulls that we’ve noticed recently is as toppers for wedding cakes instead of the usual bride and groom. Perfect in anticipation of your inevitable divorce, no?

How To Make Candy Skulls [About.com]