One of the most iconic moments in Matilda is when a student puts a newt in Miss Trunchbull’s water jug, and Matilda tips it over with her mind. Not only is it an exciting scene, but it’s also how Matilda discovers her powers. It’s one of my favorite parts of both the book and the movie, so I reeeeeally wanted to pay tribute to it here on the blog. Of course, when you picture appetizing recipes, newts don’t exactly come to mind, but then I remembered a recipe I made from another Roald Dahl book: my magic green sour gummy worms from James and the Giant Peach. How fun would it be to make newt gummies?
Using an easy recipe I found on Tastemade and some lizard candy molds I found online, I whipped up a batch of delicious gummy newts to start our Matilda menu. With the help of some lime and peach jello, I made mine green and orange like the newt in the book (my grocery store was out of orange flavored jello, which would have paired better flavor-wise, but peach and lime still tasted good). You can choose whatever flavor/color combinations you like—get creative! This makes a great after school snack or fun favor at a children’s Halloween party. Enjoy! 🙂
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Matilda’s Gummy Newts
“Immediately after lunch, she dashed off to the kitchen and found one of the Trunchbull’s famous jugs. It was a large bulging thing made of blue-glazed pottery. Lavender filled it half-full of water…Quick as a flash, Lavender got her pencil-box from her satchel and slid open the lid just a tiny bit. The newt was lying quite still. With great care, she held the box over the neck of the jug and pulled the lid fully open and tipped the newt in. There was a plop as it landed in the water, then it thrashed around wildly for a few seconds before settling down. And now, to make the newt feel more at home, Lavender decided to give it all the pond-weed from the pencil-box as well.”
— Matilda
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 package lime jello (85 grams)
- 1 package peach or orange jello (85 grams)
- 6 envelopes gelatin powder, separated (approx. 1 tbsp/envelope)
- 2/3 cup water, separated
- 1 lizard candy mold (I used this one. It’s pretty big; each lizard is about 4 inches long, which I considered just the right size for a single serving.)
Makes 4 large gummy newts
INSTRUCTIONS:
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- Lightly coat your candy mold with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine the lime jello and 3 envelopes of gelatin powder. Gently stir in 1/3 cup water just until combined. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- Set the saucepan over low heat and stir constantly with a silicone spatula for 5 minutes. Pour the jello mix into a container with a spout (a liquid measuring cup works great).
- Quickly pour the mix into the mold, dividing it evenly between all the newts (it should be enough to mostly fill them, but the feet and tips of the tails will be empty). Place the mold in the fridge.
- Repeat Steps 2 and 3 with the peach jello, using a clean saucepan, spatula, and measuring cup. Fill your newts to the top (you may have a bit of peach mix left over).
If if overflows from the mold a little in a couple areas, just leave it. It will be easy to trim the excess away with some kitchen scissors once they’ve set. - Chill the mold for 1 hour. Use a butter knife to lever out the tip of the tail. Lift your finished newts out of the molds and lay them on a serving plate. Trim away any overflowed areas with kitchen scissors if necessary.
Be aware that large gummies like these will be a little tougher to chew than bite-size gummies, so I wouldn’t recommend giving them to very small children. If you’re unsure, eat one yourself before determining if they’re right for your child. - Serve with a glass of water to the headmistress of Crunchem Hall.
As an adult, the idea of eating something lizard-shaped is a little unnerving, but most kids I know would leap at the chance to eat food that looks like a creepy crawly—especially if it tastes like jello! 🙂
Check out my other Roald Dahl recipes!
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I wasn’t ever allowed to watch or read Matilda as a kid, but this really makes me want to give it a shot!
storitorigrace.blogspot.com
It’s SUCH a cute book. And a quick read too! I think I finished it in a day or two, even while chasing the baby around. 🙂
How long will these keep?
We’ve never gone more than a few days without finishing homemade gummies so I can’t say for certain, but based on similar gummy recipes I’ve seen, you should be able to store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
Our local school is doing a production of Matilda this year and I’m so excited to be hosting the cast party and to find this recipe. I was wondering if these can be frozen for longer storage.
Sounds like a fun party! Although I’ve never tried it myself, I know gummies can be eaten frozen. However, you might run into problems if you try to thaw them. My instincts tell me they would get sticky, but I haven’t been able to find any resources that say for sure what would happen. You can always try it with a small batch to see what happens!
To freeze, you’d want to place them in a single layer in a sealed plastic freezer bag with as much air as possible pushed out of it. Lay the bag flat in the freezer with nothing on top of it until frozen (probably 2-3 hours). Then I’d thaw them inside the bag at room temperature. If it works out, let me know! Have a great party!
Thank you! My daughter is playing Lavender in the musical and said she wanted to bring newts to the cast party but wasn’t sure how.