Homemade Lucky Charms - Are You Up for the Challenge?

When I share recipes, my hope is that you will bake and enjoy them in your home.  I believe that everyone can and should bake from scratch and I try to install confidence in newbies so that they can bake cupcakes that people will rave about.

I opted for the original Lucky Charms shapes: pink hearts, orange stars, yellow moons,
green clovers, and blue diamonds (the first added shape).  The shapes now are somewhat different.

That said, making homemade Lucky Charms is not for everyone.

You can read that sentence as a warning or as a challenge to be one of the few who are up to the task.  I will never make them again.  That's not because they turned out poorly.  No, quite the opposite - they were amazing!  However, homemade Lucky Charms were so labor-intensive that both Jonathan and I are still recovering - we have blisters on our thumbs from continuous pressing on cookie cutters (Jonathan had to take over after my fingers hurt so much that I couldn't cut anymore).

Making Lucky Charms from scratch is an achievement that I am proud of, but like climbing Mount Everest, it is not something that I would recommend to everyone.  Sure, you could do it.  You could follow the steps and make it happen.  But, other than the cool factor, the brag factor, and the OMG I just did this factor, I can only think of one compelling reason to make homemade Lucky Charms.

Host a Lucky Charms Pledge Drive

You've been asked for pledges by your friends and family who run marathons, or maybe you've been the one asking them for pledges when you've run one.  People have to give the runner a certain amount of money when they complete the challenge, and the money they collect is then turned over to a worthy charity.  Since making homemade Lucky Charms is like a marathon for your thumbs (you'll understand once you start cutting those little shapes out), you could ask your friends and family to donate to your favorite charity in exchange for you creating homemade Lucky Charms.  As a bonus, pledges over a certain amount could receive a thank you bowl of homemade Lucky Charms.

Do you think your friends would pledge?

How to Make Homemade Lucky Charms

If you've made it this far in this post, you are clearly not scared off by hard work.  I'm impressed.   Here's what you'll need to do to make homemade Lucky Charms:

1. Before you even begin your project, procure the correct cookie cutters.  Luckily, they all come in the same set: Ateco 12 Piece Aspic/Jelly Cutter Set, .5 Inch
2. Next, you'll want to make some homemade corn syrup.  Store-bought corn syrup won't work since it doesn't crystallize in the same way that homemade corn syrup does and the marshmallows won't get as crunchy.
3. Then, set aside three days to make the marshmallows.
4. I could tell you how to make the marshmallows, but I used Brave Tart's Method almost word for word, so you should just read the instructions there.  The only change I made was to leave out the orange flower water (it didn't matter at all).  I would also advise that when you pour out the marshmallow onto cookie sheets (shown above) that you err on the too thin rather than too thick side.  I made some of my colors overly thick and it took them an extra two days to dry.
5. After your marshmallows are all ready to go, mix them with homemade frosted Cheerios.
6. Eat by the handful, enjoy in cereal, or save them for Lucky Charms cupcakes.