Bookworm brownies are super fun and cute after school snack! Homemade brownies covered in candy clay covers and full of gummy worm bookworms will make going back to school a little easier.

Back to school time can be a major bummer. As much as I love having the house quiet during the day while the kids are in school, I really love lazy summer days without much of a schedule.

It’s hard to say good-bye to summer. I try to ease the pain a little with some fun after school snacks the first week of school.

Like these adorable bookworm brownies!

All of the parts of these brownies can be made or prepped a day ahead of time. Then all you have to do is basically assemble them. So don’t be overwhelmed by all the steps! It’s totally doable.

Make the brownies a day before so they can cool completely. Use a homemade brownie recipe or a box mix. Our favorite brownie recipe is Baker’s One Bowl Brownies. It’s quick and easy. We do leave out the nuts.

You’ll also want to let half of your gummy worms get stale/stiff by opening the bag and letting them harden for a day or two. Don’t straighten them, bend some in half or in a worm shape.

The cover of the books are made with Wilton’s Candy Clay. IT IS SO COOL!! The recipe is just candy melts and corn syrup. It does need time to sit so plan ahead for that.

When you’re ready to put the brownies together, cut the pan of brownies in to rectangles the size you want the “books.”

Take a piece of paper and scissors and make a pattern for your brownie. You want the paper to cover three sides of each brownie to create a template for the book covers.

Unwrap one color at a time of the candy clay. Knead the clay on a surface dusted with corn starch. The clay will be very hard, and you’ll wonder if you did it right, but you did. Consider this a bonus arm workout. Just keep kneading the clay and it will soften.

Flatten into a pancake shape and place on a cornstarch surface and roll the candy clay to about 1/8″ thick.
Use your paper template and the back side of a butter knife to cut out rectangles. Use a turner to pick up the book cover from the table.

Dust off the cornstarch. Wrap rectangles around the clay. When finished add your worms.

Hopefully your worms are a little stiff. Use a sharp knife and cutting board to cut the worms in half or quarters so they look like they are coming out of the books. You’ll have to try a few different angles to get the look you want.

Use a little water to attach the worm to the book. When finished, use black sparkle gel for eyes.

It really depends on the size of your books as to how many finished bookworm brownies this makes. I did not use the edges of my brownie since they were higher than the rest of the pan and I made large books. I had 12 brownies.

Bookworm Brownies After School Snack

Ingredients

6 ounces Wilton Candy Melts (half a bag) in each of the following colors: yellow, orange, bright pink
3/8 cup light corn syrup, divided
Sour gummy worms
Cornstarch
Wilton Sparkle Gel in black

Instructions

Bake and cool your favorite brownie recipe. Cut into rectangles. Take a piece of paper and scissors and make a pattern for your brownie. You want the paper to cover three sides of each brownie to create a cover.
In a microwave safe bowl, add 1 color of candy melts. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Microwave for 10 additional seconds and stir until melted. Adding 10 second increments to your bowl if necessary.
Add 1/8 cup corn syrup to the candy melts and stir. The melted candy will begin to harden and almost be dough like. Set onto wax paper to cool.
Repeat with remaining two colors.
When candy clay is cooled, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let set for a few hours.
When you are ready to wrap your books with their covers, begin by unwrapping one color at a time and kneading it on a surface dusted with corn starch. The clay will be very hard, and you'll wonder if you did it right, but you did. Consider this a bonus arm workout. Knead the clay and it will soften.
Flatten into a pancake shape and place on a cornstarch surface and roll the candy clay to about 1/8" thick.
Use your paper template and the back side of a butter knife to cut out rectangles. Use a turner to pick up the book cover from the table. Dust off the cornstarch. Wrap rectangles around the clay. When finished add your worms.
Hopefully your worms are a little stiff. Use a sharp knife and cutting board to attach your worms to the covers. You'll have to try a few different angles and use a little water to attach the worm to the book. When finished, use black sparkle gel for eyes.
It really depends on the size of your books as to how many this makes. I did not use the edges of my brownie since they were higher than the rest of the pan and I made large books. I had 12 brownies.