It’s hard to believe that the film Hocus Pocus is turning 25 this year. It’s one of those rare movies that I can happily watch over and over again and it always feels fresh and relevant (unlike poor Billy Butcherson).
In one scene in the film, Winifred Sanderson is working on whipping up a batch of her famous potion, with Mary and Sarah Sanderson helping her out. One of the critical ingredients is a dead man’s toe. Mary drops one in, but not before Sarah helps herself to a few to snack on.
Mmm…gore-met!
Curious as to how that would taste, I reached out to a few of my witchy friends and asked them if dead man’s toe really is a treat they enjoy and if so, what did it taste like?
According to one witch, it’s a bit like well-aged salami and depending on how long the toe donor had been dead, can also be quite powerful when casting a spell.
Curious, and a bit hungry, I decided to see if they were right.
It didn’t take long for me to find a good toe (I live conveniently close to a cemetery) and while the taste wasn’t bad…it certainly wasn’t something I’d be consuming on a regular basis. Maybe it’s a witch versus demon thing? What tastes amazing to them is okay for me, but not mind-blowing (I certainly don’t expect them to get as giddy over brimstone as I do, so I get it!).
Of course, just because I’m not happy with the original flavor doesn’t mean I can’t come up with my own version that I do enjoy…which of course means CHOCOLATE!
And because this recipe is so stinkin’ easy, I’m gonna categorize it as a scary fast treat, which means you can do the whole thing from beginning to end in under an hour and end up with amazingly impressive results!
I’m also going to be doing something a little different for this post. Because it’s the 25th anniversary of the film Hocus Pocus, I’m teaming up with a bunch of other Hocus Pocus loving bloggers to create posts inspired by this film. At the bottom of this post are links to the other bloggers so you can check out all the awesome stuff they’re doing to celebrate the film as well! Who knows, you might just find another blog to follow, and a new trick or treat to try for your own Hocus Pocus inspired project!
Heads up, this blog contains affiliate links, here’s where you can check out my advertising disclosure.
Now let’s get disgustingly delicious!
To make your own chocolate dead man’s toes, you’ll need:
- 2 cups of candy melts or white chocolate in various colors
- 1 white candy melt
- ¼ teaspoon cocoa butter
- Cocoa powder
- Vodka
- Stuffing of your choice
You’ll also need:
- Food-safe molding putty (available at most craft stores or online)
- Rubber band
- Shot glass
- Food-safe paint brush
- Cardboard sucker sticks (again, craft store or online)
The first thing we need to do is mold a toe. While you can certainly dig up a dead man and mold his toe, for many of you mortals, I know a suitable living victim might be a little easier to procure.
To mold it, I suggest using a two-part molding putty like this stuff:
It’s super easy to use, it’s food safe, and it takes about 5 minutes to set up. It’s also pretty cheap (especially if you pick it up from Joann’s or Michael’s and use a coupon!)
Have your victim, er, model, thoroughly wash their feet using soap and water. Make sure they dry their toe well.
Mix your two-part putty until the colors are evenly blended and then wrap it around the model toe, making sure to cover the whole thing evenly.
Allow it to set for the time as indicated on the putty directions and then remove.
Wash your new mold with soap and water and allow to dry.
While your mold is drying, melt your candy melts.
Because you’re making dead man toes, a combination of candy melt colors is an easy way to get that sickly green color.
I like mixing purple into my greens and yellows along with a bit of red and some black. You’ll end up with a color that’s just this side of gangrene.
You can also do this using white chocolate and gel chocolate colors…as long as what you end up with looks disgusting!
Depending on your mold, you may need to split it down the middle about halfway. This will allow you to peel it back from your chocolate once it’s cooled and pop the toe out without damaging it. If you have to split your toe mold, use a rubber band to hold it together while you’re molding.
Fill your toe mold all the way up with melted chocolate and then turn upside down to drain. I’ve found that putting it into a shot glass is the easiest way to hold it flat and steady while I fill it.
Pop it into either the fridge or the freezer to firm up.
Depending on how thick you make your chocolate lining, you may need to do a coat or two of chocolate.
Now here’s the fun part. Once you create your toe “shell,” you can fill it with whatever you want. Want more chocolate? Just fill the whole thing up and pop in a sucker stick and allow to cool.
I wanted mine to have a red interior so I made a quick red mint ganache (I used the recipe from my Valentine mini chocolate hearts found here).
Just fill up your toe with the stuffing of your choice, pop it back into the fridge or freezer to firm up a bit, add in your sucker stick and then top with a dollop of melted chocolate to seal it shut.
You can also stuff these full of cake pop dough, pudding, sprinkles…really, anything your little dark heart desires!
Simply make sure when you’re stuffing them that you pack it fairly tight, jam in your sucker stick, and add a final layer of melted chocolate to help seal it up tight and secure your stick in place.
Once you’re done stuffing, it’s time to decorate your toes!
You can highlight the natural wrinkles and lines of your toe by gently scraping through the chocolate with a toothpick or other sharp instrument.
To create a dirty grungy look, I dipped a paintbrush into my melted chocolate and then roughly smashed it against the side of my toe, creating a webbed mashed up look.
To make warts, I turned my brush upside down, dipped it into the melted chocolate, and created tiny dots of chocolate on my toe.
For the toenail, simply melt your cocoa butter with your single white candy melt and use your paintbrush to brush it onto the nail of your toe. The white will highlight the toenail and the cocoa butter will solidify slightly translucent, giving you the appearance of an actual nail.
To make your toes look dirty, give them a light spritz of vodka and then dry brush them with cocoa powder. The cocoa will stick to the vodka and create a “mud.” Because we’re using vodka, it will quickly evaporate and leave the cocoa behind without making your candy sticky (I don’t suggest using water if you’re out of vodka, it can make your suckers dissolve into a gooey mess.)
Let your toes dry, wrap in plastic wrap, and share with all your fellow witchy friends…
This morning, when I got up, I took one of my toes and used it to stir my coffee…mmm…bloody good minty mocha!
Mmm…disgustingly delicious!
Now, let’s take a look at the other bloggers I’m teaming up with and see what they’re doing for Hocus Pocus.
Monica over at Popcornerreviews.com came up with not one but two Hocus Pocus posts! She’s got a Hocus Pocus garland:
And Booooook inspired brownies:
The mad minds behind 2geekswhoeat.com also got into the act with a twist on a Halloween classic, the caramel candy apple. Get the whole recipe here:
Lisa over at atablefullofjoy.com gave us an edible version of everyone’s favorite cat, Binx, with these black cat sugar cookies here:
If you’re looking for a way to warm up, the Gluttonous Geek has Hocus Pocus cider
Dahlia July shows you how to bring it all together into a Hocus Pocus inspired party!
And for more Hocus Pocus inspired recipes from the Nom, I’ve got everyone’s favorite Mummy’s Scorpion Pie recipe here!
Not in the mood to make or eat something Hocus Pocus inspired, but still want something witchy? I’m having a blast making new Hocus Pocus inspired graphics (and lots of other spooky awesome treats) you can now pick up on shirts through my Etsy shop. Every dollar from sales there help support future disgustingly delicious recipes just like this one!
Finally, looking for more sucker recipes? We have a Sucker for Horror recipe that’s a scream!
Bone appetite!
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