I want to share a fun sweet treat with you today. It is very cool and dark. The name is jell o worms a spooky halloween treat. Kids love it a whole lot. Adults think it is a neat trick too. I love to make this pure fun food in my own home. It makes me laugh out loud. I will tell you exactly how I make it. I will tell you how I failed at it too.
A Fun Dark Night
It was a dark cold fall night last year. The wind blew hard outside my window. Dead dry leaves fell down fast on the cold ground. I had a fun dark party to host for my friends. I needed a very cool sweet snack. I did not want to bake a hot heavy cake. I wanted a cold fun food.
I saw a bright box of red sweet gel in my pantry. I saw a clear box of round plastic straws. I knew just what to make. I would make jell o worms a spooky halloween treat. It is the absolute best fun food for a dark fall party. It looks so real and very gross. It tastes sweet and very fresh.
My Past Kitchen Fails
I try new fun things all the time. But I fail a whole lot too. Let me tell you the clear true fact. My first time making this was a huge sad mess. I did not pull the long clear straws tight. I left big open gaps at the round base. I poured the hot wet red gel in the top.
The hot red soup ran right out the low end. It got all over my clean white kitchen floor. It made a huge red wet pool. My shoes got so sticky and gross. I had to mop the hard floor three long times. I felt so mad and quite sad. I wasted good sweet food. I learned a big hard rule that dark day. You must seal the base very tight. You can not leave one small hole at all.
The Simple Tools You Need
You do not need big hard tools for this fun job. You just need basic home things. I keep my kitchen life very clean and plain. Too many tools make a big wet mess. I hate a big wet mess in my home. Here is what I use to make this sweet treat.
My Tool Chart
| Tool Name | Why I Use It Here |
| Tall Glass Cup | To hold the long plastic tubes tight upright. |
| Thick Clear Tape | To wrap the tube ends very close. |
| Big Pour Jug | To pour the hot wet gel fast and safe. |
| Long Wood Spoon | To stir the dry red powder very well. |
| Long Plastic Straws | To mold the cool long dark bug shape. |
The Sweet Food Parts
Let us talk about the sweet food. You only need a few plain things. I buy these at my local food shop. They cost very low cash. This makes me smile a big warm smile. You do not need to spend a lot to have fun.
The Dry Box Mix
You need clear dry gel powder. I use a big bright box of sweet red mix. You can use green lime or dark grape too. Red looks the most real to my own eyes. It looks just like a true earth bug. You need plain dry hard gel too. This is the big true key trick. It makes the soft shape firm and hard. If you skip this part, they will melt fast. They will not hold the neat long round shape.
The Thick Cold Cream
You need cold heavy milk cream. You can use half milk and half cream too. This is the top secret food trick. Clear red gel does not look real at all. Real earth bugs are not clear like glass. They have a thick dull dark look. The white milk cream makes the bright red gel look dull. It makes a cool dark pink flesh color. It looks so real it might gross you out. Add a few drops of green food dye too. Red and green make a deep dark brown tint.
How To Prep The Tubes
This is the most key step to win. You must prep the long round plastic tubes. Take your clear plastic bendy straws. Pull the bent neck part out straight. This bent part makes the cool real lines. It looks just like the real bug skin rings.
Hold a big thick bunch of them in your hand. Use a thick rubber band to hold them tight. Wrap the low end with thick clear tape. Seal the base very well. Do not leave one small open hole. Put the tight bunch in a tall round glass cup. The tight taped base must touch the cup floor. They must stand straight up in the tall air.
How To Make The Hot Gel
Now we make the wet hot food. Pour all the dry red sweet powder in a big bowl. Add two small packs of the plain dry hard gel. Mix it up with a dry metal fork. Boil hot tap water on the hot stove.
Pour three full cups of the hot boiling water in the glass bowl. Take your long wood spoon. Stir it for two whole round minutes. You must dissolve all the dry sugar grains. The hot water will turn bright dark red. It will smell very sweet and like tart fresh fruit.
Add The Cold Milk Cream
Let the hot red soup cool down a bit. Wait ten short calm minutes. Do not let it get cold and hard. Just let the hot white steam stop. Now pour in half a cup of the cold thick milk cream. Add three small drops of green food dye.
Stir it all up very slow. The deep clear red will turn thick and flat. It looks like a muddy red swamp now. It does not look clear anymore. The sweet smell is still so good and fruity. The cool cream helps the hot liquid cool down fast.
The Hard Part Is The Pour
This part makes me sweat a bit. You must pour the wet soup into the tall tubes. Take your big clear pour jug. Pour the dark red mix from the big bowl to the clean jug. The jug has a sharp pour lip. This helps a whole lot.
Pour the red mix right over the top of the tall straw bunch. Fill the tall glass cup all the way to the top edge. Some gel will go right in the tubes. Some gel will go outside the tubes in the cup. That is just fine and good. Do not rush this wet step. Do it slow and with great care. Keep your hands very still.
Time And Cost Facts
I love to track my home food math facts. It helps me plan my dark fall party. This sweet fun treat is cheap to build. It feeds a big loud group of young kids. Look at my math chart below to see the facts.
My Math Chart
| Math Fact | The True Amount |
| Prep Work Time | Thirty Short Minutes |
| Cold Rest Time | Four Full Hours |
| Total Cash Cost | Six Cash Dollars |
| Cost Per Bug | One Cash Cent |
| Total Portions | One Huge Full Plate |
The Long Cold Rest
Now you must wait a long time. Put the tall heavy cup in the cold fridge. Shut the heavy door fast. Leave it in there for four whole hours. I like to let it sit all night long. The hard gel needs time to set up firm.
If you rush it, they will break in half. A broken one does not look fun to eat. Go clean your wet sticky counter now. Use hot soap water to wash the red bowl. Wait for the cold fridge to do the hard work.
How To Pull Them Out
The long wait is now completely done. Take the cold tall cup out of the fridge. Pull the big thick bunch of tubes out of the glass. Run warm tap water over the outside of the tubes. Just do this for two short ticks. Do not use hot boiling water. Hot water will melt them all fast. Take a flat blunt knife. Scrape the extra gel off the far sides of the tubes.
The Great Push Trick
Now we get the soft bugs out. This is the best fun part of the day. Take one single tube in your clean hand. Hold it by the top clear end. Take a heavy wood rolling pin. Or use the dull back of a flat butter knife.
Press it hard on the top flat end. Push it all the way down the long clear tube. The dark sweet bug will slide right out the open base. It makes a funny wet squish sound. It falls on the clean white plate. It looks so real and very gross. My kids scream and laugh out loud when they see it fall.
Why Dark Dirt Looks So Cool
A bare wet bug on a white plate is neat. But a wet bug in dark dirt is much better. You must make sweet dark food dirt. I use hard dark chocolate cookies for this trick. I buy the round kind with the white sweet cream middle.
I scrape the white sweet cream out first. I put the hard dark brown cookies in a clear zip bag. I smash them to fine dust with a heavy wood pin. The fine dark dust looks just like real dry top soil. It tastes like rich sweet dark chocolate.
Build A Cool Dirt Cup
Take a small clear plastic cup. Put two big spoons of the dark sweet cookie dust in it. Let the cool wet worms hang over the top cup edge. Mix them deep in the dark dry dirt. They look like they crawl right out of the cold ground.
It is a great spook sight to see. The kids will gasp and grab for them fast. The taste of dark sweet chocolate and tart red fruit is grand. It is a great fun mix of soft wet and hard dry parts.
A Great Trick For A Party
This is the best food trick for a fall group party. People always love it so very much. They will ask you how you made it look so real. You can just smile a big proud smile. You do not have to say it is just cheap dry gel and straws.
Let them think you are a top dark magic chef. It adds great fun joy to the warm room. It makes great memories for your home friends. Jell o worms a spooky halloween treat is always a huge hit.
How Long Do They Last
These fun treats hold up quite well. But they can not sit in a warm room too long. They will start to weep wet red juice. They will get soft and lose their neat round shape. Keep them in the cold fridge until it is time to eat.
They stay good in the cold box for three whole days. Put a clear lid on the plate. If you leave them bare in the fridge, they get dry and hard. Hard dry gel does not taste fun to eat.
What To Do With Left Parts
You will have extra gel from the big cup. The part that did not go in the long tubes. Do not throw this sweet part out. It tastes just as good. I cut it into small wet squares. I put them in a plain white bowl.
I add a big scoop of cold white vanilla ice cream. It is a very sweet rich treat for me. It is my own private dark reward for all the hard fun work. Nothing good should go to the trash bin.
Other Fun Colors To Try
You can make these in bright fun hues too. Green looks like a bright toxic swamp thing. Use sweet lime dry gel for the bright green tint. Add the white thick milk cream to make it flat and opaque.
You can use deep dark grape for a black night crawler look. Mix the wild colors up on one big flat tray. A huge pile of bright green and deep red looks wild. It is your own home kitchen. You make the fun food art you want to see.
Why I Love Dark Fall Fun
The fall time brings me great calm joy. I love the cool crisp night air. I love the dark fun tricks. I think we all need to play and laugh more. Life can be too hard and straight and strict.
Making food that looks like gross earth bugs is silly. It is pure silly fun. It makes me feel like a wild young kid once more. Jell o worms a spooky halloween treat gives me that deep joy. It is an easy win for a tired mind.
Clean The Sticky Mess
I need to talk about the clean up phase. No one likes to wash gross sticky tools. The wet red gel gets hard fast. It sticks to the wood spoon tight. If you scrub it hard now, your hands will hurt. You will get mad at the big glass bowl.
I have a neat trick for this sad chore. I fill the dirty bowl with hot tap water. I add two drops of liquid dish soap. I let the bowl sit in the deep sink for one full hour. The hot soap water does all the hard work for me. The hard sweet gel melts right off fast. I use a soft wet sponge. I wipe the glass clean in one swift pass. Do not break a sweet sweat over a dirty red bowl.
Make Sure To Bend The Necks
I want to say this one more time. It is a very big true fact. Do not forget to stretch the bent straw necks out. I did this wrong one time in the past. I used plain straight plastic tubes.
The final food came out smooth and flat. They looked like sad red wet sticks. They did not look like real earth bugs at all. The bent neck parts make the deep real rings. The rings make the cool gross look. Pull them out straight before you pour the hot wet soup.
Taste And Cool Texture
Let us talk about the taste in your mouth. The cold texture is very cool and slick. When you take a big bite, it has a firm snap. The plain dry gel gives it that tight hard snap. It does not turn to pure mush on your warm tongue.
It holds the firm shape as you chew it up. The sweet tart fruit flavor hits you fast. Then the rich fat from the cold milk cream rolls in. It rounds out the sharp high fruit notes. It is a very well balanced sweet bite.
Kids Love To Eat Them
Kids love to slurp them whole. They hold them up high in the air. They drop them right down the hatch. It is a very gross thing to watch. But it makes me laugh so hard my sides hurt.
Food that makes you laugh is the very best kind. It feeds the hungry soft stomach. It feeds the tired dark soul too. It brings folks close together in a room.
Fun For The Lunch Box
I like to put a few of these in a fun lunch box. I pack my own cold day lunch for work. I hide a few dark red bugs deep in my salad greens. When I sit at my big desk, I see them there.
It makes my long dull work day a bit more bright. My friends at work see them too. They gasp and look fast. Then they laugh with me. A good long laugh is great for a stressed brain.
A Sweet Earth Scene
Let us think about the dark cookie dirt more. You do not have to use dark chocolate bits. You can use ground sweet plain graham crackers too. They look like light brown dry sand. You can mix the dark dirt and light sand. It makes a cool real beach soil look.
Put a few bright green soft gummy leaves on top. You have a whole sweet dark earth scene on a plate. It is pure edible dark fun art. It takes so little time to build a cool scene.
Try It In Your Home Soon
So go out to the local food shop today. Get all the parts for jell o worms a spooky halloween treat. You do not have to wait for a dark fall day. You can make them in the bright hot spring time. They are fun all year round.
Have a great day in your clean home kitchen. Make a fun loud mess. Eat a great cool treat. Smile big.
My Final Thoughts For You
I hope you try my fun sweet trick very soon. It will make your fun group very glad. It will make your close friends smile huge. Take a lot of bright photos of your cool dark food. Share the fun silly joy with all you know.
If you make a wet sad mess the first time, do not quit. Just clean the hard floor. Try it all over again the next day. Practice makes the neat shape perfect. Enjoy the sweet tart red taste. Keep making fun cool foods. I know you will rock this dark fun plan.
