For some background: alfeñiques are small sugary treats that are incredibly popular to eat during El Dia De Los Muertos. The candies are highly customizable where you can mold the sugary paste into whatever shape you want. One of the most popular shapes is the shape of a skull.

How to make it:

So you want to make alfeñiques for Dia De Los Muertos? Welcome! This small guide will aid you in your experience.

The first step to make this tasty treat is to gather your ingredients. You’re going to need:

• 4 cups of powdered sugar

• 1 or 2 eggs (Just use the whites)

• 1-2 cups of lime juice

• Some water

• Optional: Food coloring (for decoration)

Pour your powdered sugar into a bowl, and add the egg whites into the mixture. Stir this for a minute until the egg mixes in with the sugar completely. 

Add the lime juice after and start mixing. This should make the sugar even more fluffy, but if it still seems too powdery, then go ahead and mix in some water. This concoction should be able to mold easily, so any dusty sugar will not do! Once the mixture seems moldable, go to town and make whatever shape you want. You can add the food coloring now if you have any.

Your oven should be set to a low temperature, preferably 250-350 degrees fahrenheit. Once you have your molds set, place your candies into the oven for about 30 minutes. This is a longer bake, and you don’t want to burn anything, so keep an eye on your treats.

After your shapes are solid, you can take them out. Have some fun and use this time to customize your candies even more. You can bake with your friends or family, but either way, making these delicious traditional treats will always prove to be a  great time! 

My experience:

So, I thought this recipe would have been a little easier, but I was sadly mistaken. As a warning, make sure that your proportions of ingredients make sense! I think I added too much lime juice, so the whole thing looked more like a syrup rather than a malleable solid. I really messed up. Like, I messed up big time. 

I ended up just pouring the solution into a muffin tin, and I crossed my fingers. Unfortunately, luck was NOT on my side. The sugar lime mix exploded into this giant, white catastrophe. We had to remove the tops before they spilled over the entire oven. I really thought this was going to be a walk in the park. I was wrong. 

If I make anyone angry, I apologize dearly… 

Anyways, that’s how you can make some delicious traditional Mexican candy. Be prepared to get messy and have a lot of fun while doing so.