How to Make Your Own Lucky Charms!
Ever wondered How to Make Your Own Lucky Charms? Check out this fun post to learn how!
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As a kid, I always loved Lucky Charms cereal. I thought brightly colored marshmallows were pretty much the coolest thing since the Slinky! Plus, they were magically delicious! I had no idea how they were made…nor did I really care at age 7. What I did know was that Lucky Charms were bright and came in a ton of different colors and shapes. (And don’t even get me started on when new colors and shapes came out! I still remember the commercials advertising the “new” red balloon shape.)
Since those days, I’ve grown up a bit and my taste buds have changed. My cereal choices don’t often include marshmallows anymore…shocking I know! However, this past weekend, I decided to relive a bit of my childhood by making my own version of Lucky Charms cereal. It turns out that this is really not hard to do. Making the colored marshmallows was quite easy, and the hardest part was just cutting the tiny little shapes. So allow yourself a little extra time (or find some helpers) to help with cutting the shapes. But the good news is that these marshmallows store quite well…just make sure they are tightly sealed in an air-tight container. (And if they get a bit dried out? Then they’re even more like the real Lucky Charms!)
Yes, I am fully aware that Lucky Charms have absolutely nothing to do with Ireland. But the leprechaun mascot always makes me think Irish…so I figured St. Patrick’s Day is an appropriate time of the year to make these. In truth, you could tailor the colors and shapes based on the time of the year. I’m thinking orange & purple circles for Halloween, red & green marshmallows for Christmas, or even red, white, & blue stars for Independence Day…the possibilities here are endless. So go have some fun and rediscover your inner child!
How to Make Your Own Lucky Charms!
Ingredients
- 8 oz. mini-marshmallows regular-sized marshmallows will not work for this recipe
- 16 oz. confectioner's sugar, divided
- ¼ cup vegetable shortening
- food coloring I prefer the coloring gels made by Wilton
Instructions
- Place marshmallows in a microwave-safe bowl along with 4 Tbsp of water.
- Microwave the marshmallows for 1 1/2 minutes.
- Stir until all marshmallows are melted. (You may need to microwave the marshmallows for another 15-20 seconds after stirring.)
- Once all marshmallows are melted, transfer approximately 1/4 of mixture to the bowl of a countertop mixer with the dough hook attached.
- Add 4 ounces of sifted confectioner's sugar and 1 Tbsp vegetable shortening.
- Add several drops of desired food coloring.
- Stir on medium-high until well combined.
- Turn marshmallow mixture out onto countertop and continue kneading by hand until the mixture reaches a uniform color and is no longer sticky. (You will need to use a small amount of additional confectioner's sugar to help knead the marshmallows.)
- Roll marshmallow "dough" out until about 1/4-1/2" thick. Cut desired shapes. (I used the end of a straw to cut circles and a knife to cut diamonds and squares.)
- Repeat process 3 more times with different colors.
- Store in air-tight container at room temperature.
Notes
What is your favorite color and/or shape of Lucky Charms?
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I LOVE this recipe!
Thanks, Dorothy…it’s so much fun! And I think the marshmallows taste even better on Day 2…
Me and my kiddo will enjoy trying this recipe together. We are going to use this Lucky Charms marshmallow dough to try and make tiny, edible marshmallow figurines, as well as a bunch of fun, stamped out shapes in the Lucky Charms mini-marshmallow style.
Edible figurines, eh? Now that’s a fun idea!! This is a really fun recipe to make…let me know how the figurines turn out. And thank you for commenting! 🙂
Can I flavor them as well, and if so how?
Hey Jon! So I’ve never flavored these, but I have flavored homemade marshmallows…so I think the same process would work. You can pick up candy flavorings from craft stores, some kitchenware store or Amazon (http://amzn.to/1MM9XWP). LorAnn is the company I’ve used in the past, and it just takes a couple drops of the candy flavoring for a batch. They make a ton of flavors, and if you do order from Amazon, then check out their mixed pack (http://amzn.to/1MMa3h4)…it’s much more economical than individual flavors. I hope this helps, and have fun!
Couldn’t you use big marshmallows and just cut them into smaller sizes, to match the mini marshmallows?
You know, I’ve never tried that, Billy. I did try these once with the big marshmallows, and it didn’t work out too well. I feel like I heard somewhere that big marshmallows are actually a little different than small marshmallows. Not sure if this is true? But I do know that the small marshmallows work for this one! If you try it out with the big ones cut into smaller pieces, will you let me know? Thanks! 🙂
I’ll give it a try and let you know, David! I only have the big ones, but have been meaning to get the smaller ones too.
Thank you so much for this recipe! Do these marshmallows have the same consistency as the lucky charms cereal? I am hoping to make these for my husband with my gelatin free marshmallows because he can’t have pork gelatin but loves that cereal and he said that the consistency of the marshmallows is the best part.
Hey there, Khrystina! You know, I think these are pretty close to the ones in the actual cereal. But I’d let them sit out uncovered for a bit (maybe an hour or two?) to dry out…then they’ll be spot on! After all, the Lucky Charms’ versions are just dried out marshmallows themselves. Do give this a shot. It’s kinda fun to make! Oh, and make sure to cut the marshmallows super small. Otherwise they won’t dry out as well. Have fun, and let me know how it turns out!! 🙂
Hi! I can’t find halal mini marshmallows. I’m hoping I can make this work if I cut up the big ones. Have you heard back from anyone who did try this method? I can’t have the store bought lucky charms so I really hope these work out!
Hey there, Sajida! So I’ve never made this one with the large marshmallows, but I did a bit of research on marshmallow fondant (that’s essentially what this is…) and you can indeed use the large ones…but make sure to cut them into smaller pieces before microwaving! Alternatively, you can heat the marshmallows in a double-boiler on the stovetop. (The microwave is the reason for using the smaller marshmallows.) I hope this works for you! 🙂
Hi David,
Please help. I tried to make the ‘dough’ and it came our more sticky and icing like rather than dough. I couldn’t really kneed it at all. I tried adding more shortnening but it didn’t work. Should I have waited for the marshmallow mixture to cool? What did I do wrong? I saved the soft mixture. Can I still try to save it? Thanks for your help!
Hey there, Sajida. Did you end up using large marshmallows or mini-marshmallows? I’m wondering if there might be another difference in there between the large and small marshmallows? This ‘dough’ shouldn’t be very sticky at all. In fact, it should be a lot like regular bread dough in that you can easily roll it out. The shortening in there helps it from getting too dry. You might try adding more powdered sugar to help ‘dry out’ the mixture that you’ve got now. Without being there to see the dough you’ve got, it’s hard to figure out what might have happened here! Did you double-check the ingredient amounts?
Instead of vegetable shortening, could I use butter instead? Or will the shortening be much better?
Hey there, Billy! So normally I am a fan of using butter over shortening, but I don’t think butter will work here. Shortening is better as it stays firmer at room temperature. I’m afraid using butter just wouldn’t work for this one. But I do hope you have fun making these! 🙂
I don’t have a counter mixer with a hook attachment can I use a regular mixer?
Hey Sherri! Great question. You’re basically making a “dough” out of marshmallows here, and that’s why I recommended using the dough hook. However, a regular mixer could absolutely work, too. Give it a shot! And you could always do it by hand, as well…but I’m afraid your hands might get tired! 🙂 I hope you enjoy this one…it’s fun to create different shapes!
after how long does it expire?
That’s a great question, Syd! These definitely taste best the same day you make them as they start to dry out after that. However, you can keep them in an airtight container for several days. If you keep them longer than that, they’ll just dry out completely…but then again, the marshmallows in actual Lucky Charms cereal all completely dried out already. Just a thought! I hope you enjoy making these as much as we do! 🙂
Hey! I was wondering if the actually do taste like the lucky charm marshmallows when you make them.
Hey Lamiya! I do think these taste like Lucky Charm marshmallows. In fact, I think they taste even better as I find the actual Lucky Charm marshmallows to be a bit dried out. This is a fun recipe, and I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Hello, I was wondering if you were able to give the recipe in tsp,tbsp, and cup measurements?
Hey Lee! That’s a great idea, and the next time I make this recipe I will certainly jot down the cup measurements. Although, to be honest, this recipe is a bit “looser” than some in that you can eyeball the ingredients. Do give it a shot sometime as it’s pretty fun! 🙂
I cut big marshmallows into small pieces and it worked just fine, so I hope this helps!!!
Interesting tip, Cole! Thanks so much for sharing!