This year’s Halloween is certainly going to be one of the strangest. We’ll all be wearing masks anyway, but how will trick-or-treating work? Giving the kids a special spooky Halloween might be more important than ever. Bags of candy might not happen, but you can still creep them out with this Spider’s Nest with Worms recipe.

Tapioca beads look uncannily like spider’s eggs when they’re encased in gelatin (try not to let that image linger too long or you’ll be off tapioca forever). Add a few gummy worms to the mix and you’ve got a truly tingling treat.

Ingredients

• 3 boxes (3 oz each) gelatin dessert (in Halloween colors: orange, purple, green)
• Sprite, ice cold
• tapioca pearls (not tapioca pudding)
• gummy worms
• plastic spiders (optional)

Directions

Soak the Tapioca

The night before, soak the tapioca pearls according to the package’s directions. Do not use tapioca pudding here. You want only the tapioca pearls for the “spider’s eggs.”

Prepare the Bowls

Refrigerating the gummy worms for a few hours before adding the gelatin will help the worms to keep their shape and will speed the setting process. 

Using a fine mesh strainer, drain the tapioca pearls.

Place a few gummy worms in the bottom of several small bowls. Each bowl will make one spider’s nest. Top the gummy worms with the drained tapioca pearls.

Prepare the Gelatin

Follow the directions on the gelatin package. Work with one color at a time. Substitute the ice cold Sprite for the cold water in the appropriate step. Allow the gelatin liquid to cool slightly.

Pour, Refrigerate, and Wait

Pour the slightly cooled gelatin over the tapioca pearls and gummy worms. Refrigerate the spider’s nest bowl for several hours or until the gelatin sets.

Unmold and Decorate

Once the spider’s nests have fully set, unmold them onto party plates. The easiest method is to place the plate over the bowl, and then flip. You might need to shake the bowls gently to loosen the gelatin.

Once the spider’s nests are plated, you can decorate them with a few more gummy worms and plastic spiders. Add the plastic decorations only if you know that your little goblins are old enough not to eat them!

Even More Creepy Treats

To round out your Halloween spooky treat table, click here.