71°F
weather icon Clear

Monster kabobs make fun Halloween treats

You know what’s better than a bunch of marshmallow monsters? A bunch of marshmallow monsters on a stick. Because everything is better on a stick.

Here’s a festive creation that’s fun for the whole family. You’ll need a bag of marshmallows and a few inexpensive decorative ingredients to make your own marshmallow monster mash.

Line cookie sheets with wax paper. Gather skewers, a bunch of little bowls and your decorating gear. Here are some of our favorites.

Flavored gelatin powder adds vibrant color and flavor to marshmallows. Skewer a marshmallow and dip it quickly in water. Roll damp marshmallow on a paper towel to blot excess moisture and roll in gelatin powder. Orange makes perfect pumpkins and lime makes great green monsters. They taste wonderful, too. We especially loved the combination of orange gelatin with dark chocolate.

Colored sugars add fun to this project. Application is the same as with gelatin powder. You can purchase colored sugar in every color of the rainbow, or you can make your own.

To color sugar, place white sugar in a glass jar with a lid or resealable plastic bag. Add drops of food color, starting with 6 drops and add more, a drop or two at a time, for more intense color. Shake the jar or seal the bag and mush it around until the color is distributed.

Candy melts are excellent for coating marshmallows. Melt the candies in a mall microwave safe bowl at 30 second increments, stirring until smooth. You can add a teaspoon of shortening or coconut oil to reach dipping consistency. Place a marshmallow on a skewer and dip in the candy coating; roll the marshmallow to let the excess drip off.

Place it on wax paper to allow the coating to completely harden before decorating further. I find edible markers (pens) didn’t draw well on candy coating but melted chocolate worked great.

Here’s how we made ours:

Frankenstein’s monster: Coat marshmallow with green candy melts. While still tacky press the top of the “head” into mini chocolate chips or jimmies and add candy eyeballs (found with candy making supplies). Let harden. With toothpicks dipped in melted chocolate chips, add eyebrows, a mouth and stitches.

Pumpkin: Dip marshmallows in orange gelatin powder as described above. Use toothpicks dipped in melted chocolate to draw faces. Add green candies for stems.

Mummy: Dip a moistened marshmallow in white sugar. Drizzle with melted white candy melts to make bandages. Attach eyes with chocolate.

Ghosts: Coat marshmallow in white candy melts allowing excess to pool on wax paper. Let harden. Use toothpicks dipped in melted chocolate to make faces.

Monsters: Roll marshmallow in green sugar. Use melted chocolate to adhere three eyes and draw silly faces.

Bloodshot eyeballs: Using a red edible marker (found with candy making supplies) or a toothpick in red food coloring, draw squiggles on the round side of plain marshmallow. Adhere a red vein candy eyeball with melted chocolate.

When using bamboo skewers with marshmallows, butter the skewers before attempting to impale sticky things. This makes all the difference. About a ¼ teaspoon butter coated a whole bunch of skewers using my fingertips.

For safety sake, don’t use bamboo skewers if you’ve got little kids; use lollipop sticks or straws instead.

To make straw skewers, cut the end at an angle. You may need to make “pilot holes” in your marshmallow to aid in getting through and prevent any chocolate from cracking when skewering.

If you have very young children don’t make kabobs at all, just place the decorated marshmallows on festive plates. Also watch for potential choking hazards like sugar eyeballs for toddlers.

Everyone at Divas on a Dime wishes you a safe and spook-takular Halloween.

Lifestyle expert Patti Diamond is a recipe developer and food writer of the website “Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous!” Visit Patti at www.divasonadime.com and join the conversation on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom. Email Patti at divapatti@divasonadime.com.

MOST READ
LISTEN TO THE TOP FIVE HERE
THE LATEST
BCHS going strong at 85

The 2025–26 school year is off to a fantastic start at Boulder City High School.

Falls at home place seniors at significant risk

We may crack up watching slip and fall accidents on TikTok or “America’s Funniest Home Videos”, but in real life, especially for seniors, it’s no laughing matter.

Wine Walk returns with new lineup of themes

September kicks off the busiest time of the year in terms of community events in Boulder City.

Local schools welcome new staff faces

Author John Steinbeck once wrote, “I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.”

Who’s supposed to weed out the weeds?

“In the weeds” is a phrase used in the restaurant industry to describe when the front and/or back of the house becomes overwhelmed with orders, creating kitchen chaos.

Howdy, partner! Western Inn Motel has new owners

For nearly 90 years, the Western Inn Motel has served as a temporary place for residents as well as travelers on their way to Hoover Dam, Las Vegas and beyond.

Healthy aging at any age

Healthy aging is the process of maintaining good physical, mental, and social health and well-being as we grow older. It is not just for older adults. It starts at any age. There are key areas of health that can help you stay strong and healthy throughout your life.

When household products overpromise and actually deliver

Every now and again you come across a product that makes you stand back and say, “Wow, that worked way better than I thought it would!” These gleeful moments come as a welcome surprise when we’re often disappointed by products that overpromise and under-deliver. When I find these little gems, I store them away in my mental DIY toolbox. This past month, I was happy to add a few more “must have” products that exceeded my expectations.

Summer is a time to be safe

It’s a safe bet that the one thing we all have in common every summer is managing the extreme heat and our body’s reaction to the excessive temperature prevalent in our geographic location.

Free fishing fun

Logan Davis, along with his kids Winter and Maverick, tried their best to catch a fish Saturday, along with all the many others who enjoyed the city’s free fishing day at the pond at Veterans Memorial Park.