These edible worms are a BIG hit for our Halloween Dinner. The first time I served these up the kids really freaked out. My daughter couldn’t even look at them at first, but after some coaxing and a little good natured teasing, she ate one. Then much too her surprise, she liked them.
They take a little effort to make, but I think they are worth it. Plan to make these at least a day ahead of time.
Ingredients:
100 flexible plastic straws
(The straws with a bendable neck make the most realistic worms by adding ridges to the worm. Place bendable necks of straws at the bottom of the container).
an empty, cleaned 1-quart milk or orange juice carton to hold straws.
(The straws will fill up to the height of the container, the taller the better.)
1 package (6 ounces) raspberry or grape flavor gelatin
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
3 cups boiling water
3/4 cup whipping cream
12 to 15 drops green food coloring
waxed paper
Instructions: Combine gelatins in a bowl and add boiling water; stir until gelatins completely dissolve. Chill until lukewarm, about 20 min.
Meanwhile, gently pull straws to extend to full length; place in tall container. Wrap together with a loose rubber band to hold straws together.
Blend cream and food coloring with the lukewarm gelatin mixture. Carefully pour into container, filling straws.
Chill until gelatin is firm, at least 8 hours, or cover and chill up to 2 days.
Pull straws from container or, if you’re using a carton, simply tear the carton away from the filled straws. Pull straws apart. Run hot tap water for about 2 seconds over 3 to 4 straws at a time. Starting at the empty ends, push worms from straws with rolling pin, or use your fingers.
Lay worms on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Cover and chill until ready to use, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Worms will hold at room temperature for about 2 hours.
**I have had this recipe for a couple of years and found it on the internet…somewhere!
**Make this skeleton costume! I bought some black sweats from the thrift store ($3) and some glow-in-the-dark paint. I pulled out my old Anatomy book and found a picture of the bones. With white chalk I drew the bones on the sweatshirt until I was happy with them. Then filled the bones in with the paint! I can’t remember where I found the mask but I paid ($1) for it. Or make your own out of foam!
I am linking this up here:
Those are the coolest. I might have to try them.
Okay, those worms are one of the coolest halloween foods I've seen in a long time…i love 'em!!! I will definitely be trying them this year…and doing a little teasing as well :)
Thank you, Amy!!! I never thought I'd be so excited to see blood worms in my Google Reader! LOL (And you can bet I'll be making these for the boys someday…)
Wow those look so real I might have a hard time convincing myself to eat them :) I will definately be making them for our Halloween party this year!
Those worms look real. I don't know if I would be too excited to try them myself:) I think I will have to try them this year!
ok, I am DEFINATELY going to have to make these!
HOW DISGUSTINLY WONDERFUL!
Those are so cool and disgusting…lol
Those looks so great!!
I can't wait to make these! My kids are going to freak!
My kids are going to FREAK OUT!!! I can't wait. So cool looking! Thanks a bunch.
Oh, I'm totally going to be making these! FUN! Thanks Amy!
Those are so nasty that they are wonderful :-)
I have been following your blog for some time now and just had to say…..keep up the GREAT work! You are so creative and honestly, I'm a bit jealous :) I look forward to reading your blog whenever you have a new post! Thank you, thank you.
I just found your blog and have to tell you how inspiring you are! I don't have kids yet, and won't for a long time but I am devouring this blog, taking little notes for when I do become a mom. Thank you thank you thank you! Keep up the good work :)
These are awesome! I can't wait to try them!!!
Oh, I can't wait!!! My kiddos will think this is the coolest…and we always have friends and family over to Trick or Treat, I can't wait to pull these out :)
Chelsea
Whoa! Those are so gross and awesome at the same time. Thanks so much, I've gotta try this one. I'll be linking as well.
Oh my gosh. Martha Stewart has nothing over on you when it comes to Halloween treats. This is so cool.
where did you buy the glow in the dark paint? emailwendyt@hotmail.com
Thanks wendy!
This is so disgusting, I love it! Even though my kids are older, I might try this anyway!!
Question: How hard is it to pour the jello mixture into each of the straws? Any hints on that part?
Wendy–glow in the dark paint can be found at most craft stores. I found mine at Roberts.
Petit Debutant–I put my finished Jell-O mixture into a pitcher and poured it into the straws very slowly. I did get some overspill that just ended up surrounding the straws. I just broke it off after it was ready. You should be able to get most of it into the straws! It does get messy!
My straws wouldn’t fill with the jello it just kept running out of the straws and filling the carton. After many attempts, i figured to fill as much as possible let it coagulate and then carefully remove straws from carton to retrieve the excess of the overflow and return the straws with coagulated jello into the carton and back in fridge ,simmer the excess in a pot. Let it cool and then fill the straws worked wonders for me. Perhaps next time i’ll just fill the carton with a 1/3 cup of jello liquid put the straws in and then fill, that way theres no liquid running any where.
Thanks! I just dished my orange juice carton out of the trash
So gross! So awesome! Thanks for sharing this wonderful project.
Jenn @ rookno17.blogspot.com
Those are sooooo gross looking but totally awesome! I'm going to have to try this!
Amy, SO the jello doesn't run out the bottom of the straw?? We are hosting a Haloweenie Roast for the neighbors and think the kids will love these!!
Leigh Anne–The Jell-O does run out of the bottom of the straws and gets quite messy, but there is still alot in the straws to make your worms.
I made the worms and blogged about it here: http://mamabeefromthehive.blogspot.com/2009/09/worms-for-dessert.html thanks for the fun idea!
what is the trick for getting the worms OUT of the straws. Had a major failure this AM! :) HELP
OMG OMG OMG…I CAN NOT wait to make these….so gross!
Thanks for sharing the idea!
:-) Jeanette
I absolutely LOVE these! We made these for the party we went to last weekend and they were a hit! So gross to make but delicious to eat! Thanks for posting them!
These are so cool….to get around the time consuming task of filling each straw individually I just filled my container with the jello mixture then took my straws that were rubberbanded together and stuck them in there. I ended up using about 140 straws because that is how many I could squeeze into the container I used. I had some tall cylinder vases left over from a wedding…..all the straws were full with about an inch left at the top. There was jello that firmed up around each straw but I just wiped it off before I squeezed my worm out. A little less trouble and wracked nerves; ) thanks for the awesome idea…..my kids and the teachers LOVED it!!
Amy, I loved this idea! I just had to try it and made some for my sister and her family for last Sunday dinner. They didn't look quite as good as yours, but they were still a hit! My 4-year-old nephew refused to eat them even after I told him they were just Jello. He thought I was kidding!
I posted my picture of them on my blog, if you want to see how mine turned out. (http://sarahandmichaelcardell.blogspot.com/2010/10/208-this-mommy-is-proud.html)
Thank you so much for the idea!
I love it!!!! I just finished pushing the worms out of the straws. They look great. I am using them for the boy scout party tommorrow night!!!! I think I might go to the chinese food take out storeand get some of those clear containers. That is how real worms come if you buy them. I am so excited !!!!
This is the most disgusting awesome looking edible things I have ever seen, I can't wait to serve them up. THANKS!
How creative are you! These Jello worms are awesome & they truly look like the real deal!
I did these worms and they were a hit! thanks for the idea! I posted them on my blog with a link back to you. :)
http://faeriedustdreams-michelle.blogspot.com/2010/11/some-bits-and-pieces-from-our-halloween.html
Cool idea! Very realistic worms as well. ^^
want to try these for the party that we are going to. do you whip the cream?
I was wondering if you use just regular jello without the cream would it work as well??
oh my gosh those are so cute! my kids would love them!!
I featured these on my list of 10 Tricky Treats to make this Halloween!
SweeterThanSweets
I am going to make a chocolate bundt cake tomorrow for our ward Halloween Party. I will then frost it with a dark chocolate and then dust with ground oreos and graham crackers for dirt. Out of the center ot the cake these great worms will crawl. Should be fun.
Oh, that is so disgusting!! I can’t wait to try it!! We go to a friends for Halloween every year and she’s got three boys. Our families combined equals 7 boys. Don’t you know they will love these!!
Brilliant! Definitely worth the effort! I’d go for bright lime green jell-o worms and lemon yellow jell-o skulls & bones. I might have to spike the red ones for the adults with a little cherry liqueur. ;)
I found you through TCB. Cheers!
The Skeleton Sweats are screamingly cool!
Way fun! I just made them. I must say my coloring was WAY off. You must’ve not added any food coloring to get it so red, right? Next time I’ll definitely not add any extra color. Thanks!
So, I used these instead of Jell-o shots at my adult Halloween Party! They were a hit! We made 150+ and they were gone quick! We used Raspberry Jell-o and Black Cherry Vodka and they were delish! (in the recipe just changed it to 1 1/2 cups boiling water, stirred in until gelatin was completely mixed, let chill, then added 1 1/2 cups vodka. Kept everything else the same and it worked perfectly!) Thanks for the idea!!!