Decorating the sugar skulls is one of the kids’ favorite activities in the household of Mexican cookbook author Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack.
Her kids like to draw on them with royal icing, adding their late family members’ names or special lyrics that create connection between the living and dead.
It’s this connection that has led Marquez-Sharpnack to put out three Mexican cookbooks, her latest of which, “Muy Bueno: Fiestas: 100+ Delicious Mexican Recipes for Celebrating the Year,” offers plenty of ways to celebrate Dia de los Muertos.
The sugar skulls are a classic — but they shouldn’t be eaten. They’re purely decorative, and if made correctly, they’ll last a decade or more. Put them on your family member’s alter, or “ofrenda,” each year, or deliver them directly to the gravesite.
Each one represents a departed loved one, and the process of creating them can be fun for the whole family.
Just be sure to keep it light; they’re not meant to be scary. Marquez-Sharpnack says they should be used to celebrate life with color, humor and creativity.
(And if you’re looking to make sugar skulls you can eat, try her mini lemon sugar skull cakes.)
Mexican Sugar Skulls (Calavera de Azúcar), by Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack
Makes two medium flat-back sugar skulls and one large, two-sided sugar skull.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup granulated sugar2 to 3 teaspoons meringue powder2 to 3 teaspoons waterMedium sugar skull moldCardboard squaresRoyal icing
DIRECTIONS
1. Pour sugar into a large mixing bowl.
2. Add meringue powder.
3. Mix dry ingredients well.
4. Sprinkle sugar mixture with water
5. Combine sugar, meringue powder, and water with hands until fully combined.
6. Consistency should be similar to beach sand.
7. Tightly pack mixture into mold.
8. Scrape excess mixture and create a smooth, flat back of the mold.
9. Press cardboard onto back of mold and flip over. You should be able to easily slide the mold off to reveal a perfectly shaped sugar skull.
10. Set aside and allow to dry overnight.
11. Once you’ve made all the front of the skulls, repeat steps to make the back of the skulls.
12. Once all pieces have dried, spread a thin layer of royal icing on the backs of the skulls, and attach the second pieces to create the full shapes.
13. Remove excess icing.
14. Set aside 30 minutes, allowing the icing to dry and bind the two sugar skull pieces.
15. Once dry, your sugar skulls are ready to decorate.
NOTES
This recipe can easily be doubled or halved depending on the number of molds you’re using.
Drying time is essential—make your sugar skulls a day ahead so they have time to harden before decorating.
Use sturdy molds made specifically for calaveras de azúcar to ensure clean shapes.
Store undecorated sugar skulls in a cool, dry place. Once decorated, treat them as delicate art pieces.
— Courtesy “Muy Bueno: Fiestas: 100+ Delicious Mexican Recipes for Celebrating the Year,” by Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack (Weldon Owen, $37).
