Throw a Monster Mash

It’s that time of year – jack-o-melon carving time! Watermelon carvings are a fun and different way to show off your spookiest Halloween faces. Try this watermelon carving for the ultimate centerpiece as the head of Frankenstein.

Head of Frankenstein

• Oblong shaped seedless or seeded watermelon
• Black edible sugar sheets or construction paper
• Black licorice strings
• Chocolate Wafer Cookies- large and mini sizes
• Straight pins
• Large kitchen & paring knife
• Pair of chop sticks
• Chocolate covered mini donuts
• Melon baller
• Green dry erase marker
• Honeydew
• Spooky Decorations

Before you start carving, check out a few helpful carving tips and tricks:

• The whole watermelon should be at room temperate when you carve to make cutting and slicing easier. Then chill the watermelon after cutting and before serving.

• Cut a small, thin, flat piece from the bottom of the watermelon before carving. This will provide a flat base, making the watermelon more stable when carving.

• Draw the design on the watermelon rind with a fine/medium point waterproof marker or a sharp pencil before you cut.

• Use a sharp knife with a pointed tip – the sharper the knife, the easier and cleaner the cuts will be.

Wash the watermelon under cool running water and pat dry.

On a cutting board, place the watermelon on its side and cut 1/2-3/4 “ from each end, creating a sturdy base and top portion of the carving.

Stand the watermelon up right.

Scoop out a good amount of the red fruit from the top of the watermelon with a melon baller, also using a melon baller scoop a generous portion of honey dew to make the fruit salad.

Refill the top portion of the watermelon with the balls of watermelon & honeydew.

From the ends that were cut off draw “nose” with a dry erase marker and use a paring knife to cut it out and attach it to the watermelon using the straight pins or toothpicks.

For the eyes take two large chocolate wafer cookies and two small chocolate wafer cookies and peel them in half.

Using sturdy toothpicks or straight pins attach the large cookies with the white icing facing out to the watermelon and attach just the small black cookie portion to the white icing to create Frankenstein's pupils.

Take the black edible sugar sheets or construction paper and cut it in half length wise followed by zig zag cuts to create his hair, attach this to the top of the watermelon using straight pins.

Use straight pins to attach black licorice to create the mouth and stitches randomly on the face of the Frankenstein.

3/4 of the way down the watermelon on each side of the face insert a chopstick and attach a chocolate covered mini donut to each chopstick to resemble the screws in Frankenstein's neck.

Complete the carving with additional Spooky decorations.

See more at watermelon.org/carvings