Chocolate Protein Gummy Skulls
These Chocolate Protein Gummy Skulls are dark, fudgy, and just spooky enough to make you feel like a mad scientist in the kitchen. Real cocoa and a scoop of protein powder turn them into Frankenstein's pre-workout snack. They jiggle like a ghost and flex like a gym bro! 😌
Quick Look: Chocolate Protein Gummy Skulls
- 🍔 Serves: 4 people (1 large skull each)
- ⭐ Features: High-Protein, Make-Ahead
- ⌛️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 💥 Cook Time: 5 minutes, plus about 3 hours to chill
- 🕑 Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes, mostly hands-off
- 👩🍳 Skill Level: Easy
- 🏆 Why make THIS version? It tastes like a fudgy chocolate gummy, but it's packed with protein and made with real cocoa.
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Key Ingredients
- Grass-fed gelatin - This is what sets the skulls and gives them their chew. It firms up as it chills, the same way the gelatin does in my watermelon jello. Sprinkle it over cool water first and let it bloom, so it dissolves smoothly instead of clumping.
- Chocolate protein powder - One scoop adds the protein and a deeper chocolate flavor. I pair chocolate protein powder with cocoa in my healthy chocolate protein pancakes too.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - Real cocoa is what makes these dark and fudgy instead of candy-sweet. It's the same cocoa-and-protein-powder pairing behind the frosting on my 90-second high-protein chocolate cake.
- Honey - It sweetens the gummies and rounds off the bitter edge of the cocoa. Start with the quarter cup and add more if you like them sweeter.
- Vanilla extract - A teaspoon rounds out the chocolate. It goes in with the ho
Substitutions & Additions
- No skull molds? - Any silicone mold works. My pistachio frozen yogurt cups set in a standard silicone muffin pan, so that's a good place to start.
- Want sweeter gummies? - Add more honey to taste. Stir it in while the mixture is warm so it blends evenly.
- Protein from real food instead - Most of my high-protein desserts get their protein from cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, eggs, and nut butters. These gummies are the powder-and-gelatin exception.
How To Make My Chocolate Protein Gummy Skulls
This is an overview of the recipe. All measurements and detailed steps are in the recipe box below.
- Bloom the gelatin by pouring 2 cups of cool water into a saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the top and let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Whisk in the dry ingredients, starting with the protein powder and cocoa. Stir in the honey and vanilla.
- Heat the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it's smooth and just below a simmer. This takes about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Whisk in 2 cups of cold water and pour the mixture into your skull molds. Tap the molds lightly to knock out any air bubbles.
- Chill the molds in the fridge for about 3 hours, until the gummies are firm and set.
- Pop the skulls out of the molds and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
Chocolate Gummy Skulls FAQs
Any silicone mold works. A silicone muffin pan or a candy mold gives you round or shaped gummies instead of skulls. The recipe stays the same.
Up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge. Keep them chilled, since they soften at room temperature.
Blooming lets the gelatin hydrate in cool water before any heat touches it. That's what lets it dissolve smoothly into the mixture instead of forming clumps.
The recipe calls for one scoop of chocolate protein powder and doesn't specify a type, because most anything works. Plant-based powders vary by brand, which I flag in my edible high-protein cookie dough, so check that the warm mixture looks smooth before you pour.
Blend it quickly until it's smooth. A fast blitz fixes the few lumps that sometimes remain after whisking.
Chef Josh's Expert Tips
- On the heat: Keep the mixture just below a simmer and whisk the whole time. Boiling it isn't what you want here.
- On the molds: Tap them lightly after pouring. It pushes out air bubbles so the skulls come out smooth.
- On the sweetness: Taste the warm mixture before you pour. If you want it sweeter, add a little more honey then.
Into This One? You have to try other high-protein treats...
- Watermelon Jello (Set Inside the Rind, Sliced Like Watermelon)8 Hours 15 Minutes
- Pistachio Frozen Yogurt Cups4 Hours 10 Minutes
- Edible High-Protein Cookie Dough15 Minutes
- Fudgy High-Protein Two-Bite Brownies32 Minutes
If you make this one, I want to hear about it! Please leave a comment and ★★★★★ star rating below (that helps everyone else know what the favorites are). Feel free to tag me on Instagram too, so I can see your creations 😎.
Recipe
Chocolate Protein Gummy Skulls
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Bloom the gelatin by pouring 2 cups of cool water into a saucepan. Sprinkle the 4 tablespoon gelatin evenly over the top and let it bloom for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Whisk in the dry ingredients. Add the 1 scoop chocolate protein powder and ½ cup cocoa powder and whisk gently to combine.
- Stir in the honey and vanilla, adding the ¼ cup honey and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Heat the saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until everything is fully dissolved and smooth. The mixture should be just below a simmer, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Blend the mixture quickly if a few lumps remain, until it's smooth.
- Whisk in the remaining 2 cups of cold water, then pour the mixture into skull molds or any silicone mold.
- Tap the molds lightly to remove any air bubbles.
- Refrigerate for about 3 hours, or until firm and set.
- Pop the gummies out of the molds and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
- Makes 4 large gummy skulls.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition
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These are spoO0o000oky way to sneak some protein in -- and they're a crowd pleaser!! You can find a mold on Amazon and they work with any shape you want!