This shop has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and The Hershey Company. All opinions are mine alone. #HersheysSkull
If you grew up in the Southwest or have Mexican friends or family, you have no doubt heard of Día de Muertos (also called “Día de los Muertos” or “Day of the Dead”). It’s a vibrant and joyful celebration at the beginning of November where the memories of loved ones are celebrated as their souls are welcomed back from the other side. You may have seen the sugar skull makeup and folk art, the colorful papel picado (banners), and the ofrendas (altars) decked out with pictures of loved ones along with marigolds and offerings of food. These are all part of the tradition of making our loved ones feel welcomed and honored during this holiday. If you’re looking for Day of the Dead party food ideas, today I’m sharing an easy and fun tutorial for making a delicious Día de Los Muertos Sugar Skull Candy Tray featuring Hershey candies! You’re going to want to pin this sugar skull candy tray for your own Day of the Dead celebration.
One of the things that I have always loved about Día de Muertos is how much of a celebration it is. Often when one thinks of a loved one who has passed away, it is a sad event. Día de Muertos is anything but that! In fact, it’s a party in which the happy memories of our loved ones remain alive! Because of Día de Muertos my sons have never thought that the images of skeletons are scary; instead, they think of them as colorful, lively, and fun! Over the years my sons have collected several skeleton figurines in fun poses – because that’s what it is all about, celebrating the fun things the deceased enjoyed in life.
Because we have so much fun with the theme of skeletons, sugar skulls, and especially the fancy La Catrina, we love any Day of the Dead crafts that involve them in some way (whether it’s coloring pages, designing and painting our own sugar skulls – like the ones above, or food with a skeleton theme). This is why we were so excited to make this candy board party tray. It’s really easy to put together and allows you to get as creative as you want with the candies you use for the sugar skull decorations.
You can find all the Hershey candy needed for this sugar skull party tray and lots of festive Day of the Dead accessories and party decorations at your local HEB store. My HEB had an entire section for it!
Here’s how to make a Day of the Dead Hershey Sugar Skull Candy Tray!
The HERSHEY’S® ALL TIME GREATS White Candy assorted package is perfect for this tray. I like to line the HERSHEY Cookies ‘n’ creme bars with white KIT KAT® white creme Wafer Bars (from the same pack) to create the shape, then make an outer border of milk chocolate HERSHEY’S bars to keep them in place.
REESE’S white creme Miniatures are great for filling in the skull, as their rounded shape allows you to create a curved skull. I fill in the entire skull with these REESE’S white creme Miniatures except for two regular REESE’S cups, which will be the outline of the eyes. I used KIT KAT® Miniatures to create a taller border for the skull. The miniature size allows for a nice arc for the border.
To fill in the outside of the board, I used two packages of the HERSHEY’S Assorted Snack Size Party Bags (33.43oz). Keeping the individual candies wrapped makes them convenient for party guests and for take-home party favors.
The finishing touch is where you can get creative! I used REESE’S PIECES Candies and TWIZZLER candies (pulled apart then twisted decoratively) to add details to the sugar skull, but you can also use WHOPPERS candy (from a 5oz theatre box), HERSHEY’S KISSES candies, and more.
¡Feliz Día de los Muertos!
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