Halloween Decorating Idea: Make a Candy Topiary

Cover inexpensive foam topiary forms with fondant and candy to create a sweet Halloween decoration or centerpiece that kids will love helping to craft.
Candy Cones for Halloween

Halloween Candy Topiary

Cover inexpensive foam topiary forms with fondant and candy to create a sweet Halloween decoration or centerpiece that kids will love helping to craft.

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Materials Needed:

  • 2-3 foam cones of varying heights
  • 1 box premade rolled fondant
  • 1 canister white icing
  • food coloring (optional)
  • Halloween-colored candy
  • rolling pin
  • powdered sugar
  • knife
  • rolling mat
  • piping bag and tip
  • plastic wrap

Cover Foam Forms

To make foam cones food-safe, cover them entirely with plastic wrap. Any large folds or wrinkles will show through the layer of fondant, so try to make this layer as smooth as possible.

Foam Cone Covered in Plastic Wrap

Covering Foam Cone for Halloween Candy Topiary

To make a Halloween candy topiary, first cover a foam cone in fondant. To make foam cones food-safe, cover them entirely with plastic wrap. Any large folds or wrinkles will show through the layer of fondant, so try to make this layer as smooth as possible. Note: Fondant dries out quickly, so cover with a damp paper towel to keep moist prior to rolling it out. Sprinkle rolling mat or clean work surface with powdered sugar to prevent fondant from sticking. Use a rolling pin to roll fondant to a 1/4-inch-thick piece large enough to cover one foam cone. Roll cone in fondant and trim away excess at top, seam and bottom with a knife. Fondant should overlap slightly at seam. Press edges together gently with fingers and neatly fold over top. Fondant will mostly be covered by candy, so it's okay if it's not perfectly smooth. Tip: Fondant can be colored with food coloring to create a different base color, if you'd like. Next add icing from piping bag where you want to place your candy pieces and cover in any pattern you like.

Roll Fondant and Cover Foam

Note: Fondant dries out quickly, so cover with a damp paper towel to keep moist prior to rolling it out. Sprinkle rolling mat or clean work surface with powdered sugar to prevent fondant from sticking (Image 1). Use a rolling pin to roll fondant to a 1/4-inch-thick piece large enough to cover one foam cone (Image 2). Roll cone in fondant and trim away excess at top, seam and bottom with a knife (Image 3). Fondant should overlap slightly at seam. Press edges together gently with fingers and neatly fold over top (Images 4 and 5). Fondant will mostly be covered by candy, so it's okay if it's not perfectly smooth. Tip: Fondant can be colored with food coloring to create a different base color, if you'd like.

Apply Icing and Candy

Put icing in a piping bag fitted with a tip. Apply icing to a small section of fondant in desired design (Image 1). Stick candy pieces immediately to icing (Image 2). Working in small sections, continue covering cone until you're happy with the design. The design options are limitless: Use black licorice strands to create a spider web, write out messages or create graphic shapes, or give small black candies "legs" with black icing to make creepy, edible spiders. Food-safe markers can even be used to sketch a design on the fondant. Tip: Make candy topiaries only a couple of hours before a party, so the icing doesn't dry out too much. With the exception of the foam cone and plastic wrap, these topiaries are edible so you can allow kids to devour them as the party winds down.

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