I Made “Halloween Brains” To Freak Out My Neighbor Kids

You ever have one of those moments of inspiration that you never thought you'd pull off? That was this project right here. Halloween Brains.

I was at Universal Studios in Orlando for their Halloween Horror Nights. Everything there has a theme. Essentially that's when I decided that I needed a theme for Trick-Or-Treat night with the neighbors. I'm not just going to stand out in the driveway handing out mini-Twix bars to the kids this year. This year I'm doing more. Side note: I still bought some Twix, of course, but I've been eating those myself.

To break it down, basically it's a flavored Rice Krispy treat with some creative packaging. Rice Krispy treats are kinda hard to mess up, so feel free to do some experimenting. I'm going to tell you exactly what I did. Here's what you'll need to make 25 of these.

Styrofoam meat trays. You can buy them on Amazon, the restaurant supply store, or if you know someone who works at a grocery store.....  Each batch of this recipe is good for 8 of these 'brain patties'. I bought a 25 pack of trays and made three batches.

Stickers for the label. I used the stickers for the Avery Template 5164. There's one in Microsoft Publisher with a template you can modify.  Prints 6 stickers per sheet. Do this at work to best maximize your time.

Plastic Wrap. I struggled a bit with getting the plastic wrap to stick. Had to tape it to the tray.

Red Food Coloring. I got an 8 ounce bottle. It was just enough.

(2) 12 ounce boxes of Rice Krispies or similar off brand whatever.

(3) 10.5 ounce bags of mini-marshmallows.

(2) 3 ounce boxes of Jello strawberry gelatin. Or generic. Whichever. Don't make the Jello. We're using the powder.

4 pack of butter or margarine sticks. 

Vanilla extract. 

Grab the 6 quart pan and a plastic spatula. You're gonna definitely want to use the spatula for forming the patties. When it's warm this stuff is really sticky. And of course, it'll dye your hands red like you just came from a murder scene. Don't worry about the cookware, I had no problem cleaning up. Just do it when you're done and don't wait till the morning. See earlier comment about 'murder scene'.

I know the rules when it comes to posting a recipe online. There's always the useless story. So. One time when I was like 10 I was riding my bike. Eventually I got to where I was going. That should do it. Finally, now let's make these brains. 

Excited yet? If you're on your second batch, don't bother cleaning the pan. Having some of the previous batch still stuck to the sides didn't seem to matter. Once the butter is melted, on to -

Let it set in there for like 30 seconds. It's absorbing some of the butter. Don't touch it just yet.

Ok, now stir it a little. Nice and easy. You want these to be fluffy so don't be too aggressive.

Half of the 3 oz box, so 1.5 oz of Jello powder. Stir it through. Nice and easy. This will give the mixture a pink color and is the flavor that makes these things different from regular Rice Krispy treats.

Don't be too aggressive with it. A little goes a long way. We're going to need extra liquid at the end so only put in what's needed. Stir it in.

Remove the pan from the heat before the marshmallows are completely melted. Keep stirring off the side until they finish melting.

Just dump them in. All at once. Stir until everything is mixed. At this point you may decide to add more food coloring. Just be careful to not use more than a quarter of the bottle per batch so you have enough left.

Using the plastic spatula (see earlier comment about a murder scene), form the patties in the trays. Once you've completed your last batch, use the remaining food coloring to 'splash around some blood' in the trays. This really adds to the realism.

After they've completely cooled, wrap them in plastic wrap. I was using really cheap wrap, so I had to tape the wrap to the bottom. If you're daring, you could maybe use a lighter to slightly melt the plastic in place. I've been drinking the whole time and decided it was best to not play with fire. Apply the sticker.

I'll be wearing a lab coat in my driveway. I also made this sign.