How to Make Jell-O Jigglers

Claudia has been writing recipes online for many years. She enjoys coming up with unique and tasty dishes, especially sweet treats.

I'll be the first person to admit that Jell-O has never been my favorite sweet treat. In fact, for many years, I wouldn't even look at it. I think it had something to do with a hospital visit where I could only eat Jell-O and broth for about three days. For a long time, whenever I thought of it, I thought of the hospital.

But that all changed a little while ago when my daughter wanted me to make her some. She's never cared for the texture of regular Jell-O, but she had tried some at a friend's house that was denser, and she liked that.

So I headed to the store, bought a couple of boxes of flavored gelatin, saw the recipe on the side of the box, and whipped up a batch of jigglers. I have to admit, they were good, really good. They were also lots of fun to make.

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Directions

This is probably going to be one of the easiest recipes you'll ever make. In addition to the ingredients, all you are going to need is a 13 x 9 pan, a large bowl, wax paper, cookie cutters and a spoon. That's it.

Cook Time

Ingredients

• 4 packages (3 oz each) flavored gelatin
• 2 1/2 cups water

Instructions

1. Bring the water to a boil. Then mix the packets of gelatin in.
2. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved, about 2–3 minutes.
3. Pour the mixture into a 13x9 pan and chill for a minimum of 3 hours. I like to chill the pan overnight.
4. Before cutting out shapes you'll need to loosen the Jell-O from the pan. I do that by filling the kitchen sink with a couple of inches of warm water and setting the pan into it for about 10–15 seconds.
5. Using cookie cutters, cut out whatever shapes you want, being careful not to leave too much space in between cuts. A nice bonus here is that depending on what shapes you use, you'll have plenty of scraps left over to snack on.
6. Place the cutouts on wax paper. To store, layer between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container. Refrigerate.

Tips

Some people suggest using non-stick spray to prepare the pan, but I don't care for that taste, so I don't use anything. I do try to use non-stick metal pans and make sure to leave the pan in the warm water long enough to loosen the Jell-O adequately. I have found it's harder to remove the Jell-O from glass pans.

Ingredients

You don't need much for this recipe and most people have Jell-O in their pantry. I usually stock up on our favorite flavor when they are on sale.

Mixing the Ingredients

Bring the water to a boil and pour into a bowl. Be careful, it's hot. Stir in the gelatin until it is completely dissolved. This could take a couple of minutes.

Preparing the Mixture for Chilling

Pour the mixture into a 13 x 9 pan and chill for a minimum of 3 hours. I used a glass pan because I thought it would look better in the photos but normally I use a metal pan for ease of removal.

Loosening the Jell-O From the Sides of the Pan

Immerse the bottom and sides of the pan in warm water for about 10–15 seconds to loosen the gelatin from the sides and bottom. This will make it easier to remove the cutouts.

The best way I've found to do this is by filling my kitchen sink with a couple of inches of water. A baking tray filled with warm water can also be used. Be careful not to get water in the Jell-O.

Cutting Out the Shapes

This is the fun part. Pull out your favorite cookie cutters and start cutting. I try to keep the cuts as close to each other as possible so there isn't too much waste in between the shapes.

Place the cutouts on wax paper and store in an airtight container. Refrigerate.

Jigglers have become one of my favorite go-to treats for impromptu gatherings. They are such an easy treat to make. They can be made in any shape and flavor and they're budget and time-friendly. How can you go wrong with a snack like that?

© 2017 Claudia Porter