How to Make Sugar Skulls For Day of the Dead

The Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, has been celebrated for hundreds of years. Similar to All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, the Day of the Dead celebrates the lives of those who have passed away.

Held over the weekend of November 1 and 2 each year, Day of the Dead is full of rituals. Many families create an altar, or ofrenda, to honor the people in their lives who are no longer with them.

Another common way to celebrate the Day of the Dead is to make sugar skulls. Made with white sugar, and decorated with colorful frosting, sequins, and other sugars, the skulls have come to be a symbol of the Day of the Dead holiday.

Making your own sugar skulls to commemorate the ones you have lost is easy, but does take some time. With proper storage, the skulls made today will last for many years to come. Display your skulls next to photos or momentos from the loved ones you've lost, to celebrate their lives over the Day of the Dead.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• One 5-pound bag of granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup of meringue powder (see resources)
• 7 tablespoons water
• Sugar skull molds (see resources)
• Large mixing bowl
• Decorations
• Flat surface or cardboard pieces

1. 
   Mix the sugar for the sugar skulls

   Empty the five pounds of granulated sugar into the large bowl or bucket. Add the meringue powder and stir the dry ingredients together, ensuring they are well blended.

2. Add the water. Stir slowly and thoroughly. Using the water bottle, mist additional water only if needed. When the sugar is properly mixed, it should be the consistency of wet sand.
   
   To test this, grab some of the sugar mix and squeeze it into a fist. If it stays in it's shape, it is ready to mold.

3. 
   Fill the Day of the Dead Sugar Molds

   Scoop the sugar mixture into one half of the mold. Compact the mixture into the mold, making sure the mixture has filled in all of the empty space. Level off the back of the mold with the back of a knife.

4. 
   Sugar Skulls After They Come Out of the Mold

   Place a piece of cardboard on the back of the sugar skull mold, and turn the mold over. The sugar skull should slide easily out of the mold onto the cardboard. Set the piece aside and repeat the process until all of the skull halves are complete.

5. 
   Let The Sugar Skulls Dry

   Allow the sugar skulls to dry at least 24 hours before handling.

6. Spread a thin layer of frosting on the back of one of the skull halves. Press the halves together, and allow them to dry an additional four-to-six hours.

7. 
   Enjoy the Day of the Dead!

   Using frosting, sequins, feathers, or other items, decorate your sugar skulls for you Day of the Dead - Dia de los Muertos - celebration.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sugar skulls when the weather advises low humidity. Too much moisture makes the sugar dissolve and too sticky to mold.
• Choose a variety of colors and decorations for the skulls to make them more interesting.
• If the sugar mixture starts to get too dry, mist it lightly with water, taking caution not to add too much.
• Avoid adding too much water. It will feel dry at first, but it is better to have too little than too much.
• Do not eat the sugar skulls. While they are edible, they do not have a very good taste.
• Always use the meringue powder. It is essential to the sugar skulls staying together.

Resources

• Sugar Skull Molds
• Meringue Powder
• Dia de los Muertos Decorations