Jell-O may have been a holiday side dish staple of your childhood, but have you ever considered using the gelatin dessert to pump up the flavor of cookies? Jell-O cookies are a popular retro dessert where the powder is creamed in with the sugar and butter. While Jell-O was first invented in 1897, when carpenter Pearle Wait took granulated gelatin and added color and flavoring to it, it wasn’t until the 1960s that using the creation in cookies became truly popular.
What makes the addition of Jell-O a winning one to cookies? The cookie turns whatever color the gelatin is, which could be a fun and festive option for some Christmas gluten-free Italian rainbow cookies. They could also work for a baby shower if you use a flavor like strawberry or berry blue. The base of the recipe is often a typical sugar cookie, but in addition to the added moisture the gelatin provides, using Jell-O also imbues your final product with just a hint of the flavor. Keep in mind that some bakers report tasting a deeper and richer flavor of Jell-O if you use one of the brand’s darker choices, such as berry blue. Even so, the color of the cookie will still stay on the lighter side.
Other desserts to make using Jell-O
With a package of Jell-O in your pantry, cookies aren’t the only retro dessert you’ll be able to make. A classic Jell-O mold could be a good place to start, and it’s often a dessert bakers will feature on their Thanksgiving or holiday tables. Having trouble de-molding your Jell-O? Use the hot water trick. Another throwback? Add Jell-O to a classic English trifle by either topping the dessert with Jell-O or preparing the gelatin, adding it over the cake pieces, and then topping with whipped cream — though we prefer chocolate pudding in a Devil’s Food trifle.
In the mood for a poke cake? After you bake the cake, you’ll poke the requisite holes in it. Then, make the Jell-O according to the package directions. Finally, you’ll spoon this mixture over the cake until it’s soaked. These days, you have lots of choices for what type of mixture you want to use in a poke cake — including dulce de leche — but the poke cake was actually invented as part of Jell-O’s advertising back in 1976.
