Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Jello Jigglers! Just in time for New Years Eve, here is a post from my sister (who usually posts each Tuesday) known for her jello shots. Super easy and fun, you should make these for your New Years Eve Party.
In my early 20s I became the designated Jello Shot maker for parties with my friends. It drove me crazy when you would find little mostly empty, sticky little cups all around the house. I also thought it was a pain in the butt to eat the Jello out of those little cups. So I quickly jumped on the Jello Jiggler band wagon. By using less liquid in the recipe the Jello is firmer and I can cut it into shapes or squares and it will hold its shape. If you check out the Jelly shot test kitchen http://jelly-shot-test-kit chen.blogspot.ca/ you will see some beautiful inspiration for ways to display and style your Jello Jigglers. Typically you use HALF the liquid when making jigglers. So I often just put in two boxes of the powder with the water for one box. For example, for normal Jello it is usually one cup of boiling water per box, with an additional one cup of cold water. So use one cup of boiling water, two packs of jello, and after it is dissolved add one cup of booze for Jello Shots or water for Jello Jigglers. I will then poor it into silicon molds or a brownie shaped pan, then pop it in the fridge. So easy! I have gotten fancy and tried the Agar Agar powder to make them vegan friendly, but honestly they came out terrible. Jello has gelatin, which most vegetarians and vegans won t eat, so Agar Agar powder can be used as a non-animal product replacement. For my vegetarian sister Hil s bachelorette I went all out and tried a few different recipes. I found they were either too watery or too
firm. We ended up eating some with a spoon! I have also tried some of the more elaborate recipes I found online, but they require you to use many different kinds of booze and it just gets too expensive. I used to use better quality booze but over the years I ve seen how fast they get sucked down, people don t notice or appreciate the higher quality booze. Save it for drinks and get the cheap stuff for Jello. A few tips Biggest batch I ve ever made! There were a lot of people at the party I swear! lol -Layering colors is fun and easy! Make one color, let it set in the fridge, and then make another color and poor it on top. If you want keep going and add even more layers following the same process. Don t poor the second layer of Jello until it has cooled or it will melt the already set first layer and you won t get the nice color distinction. But also don t pour it on when it is totally cooled, because when you cut it the two layers won t stick together. -You can use hot water from the kettle, but for me I find I can be impatient with the dissolving process and get the skin on the bottom, by boiling the water in a pot on the
stove I never get the skin. -You can use a shelled out orange peel for orange slice shaped Jello, but I found it tasted a bit bitter due to the peel, so I m not a big fan of that style. -Name your favors! People love fancy names even for simple recipes; for example Strawberry Daiquiri (Strawberry Jello and rum). Simple. Classic. Delicious. -Have fun with silicon molds; spray them with a thin layer of non stick cooking spray to help you scoop them out of the molds after they have firmed. Make sure they are really cold when taking them out of the mold to help hold the shape. -Ice cube trays are another tool you can use as a mold. Again spray them with a non stick cooking spray. But when you are making lots they take up a lot of room in the fridge and can take a long time to scoop out of the molds. Plus I tend to cut mine a bit smaller. I like them to be one bite sized. -If you are layering colors I find it looks best to put the darker color as the top layer. -Have fun with cookies cutters! Then you also have scraps to snack on. I will keep the ugly little scraps in a Tupperware and once the pretty ones are gone the guys will happily eat the mis-shaped ones.
A jello rainbow for my gay friend s wedding -If I am making them for a group where we want them to look particularly good I will actually use a small ruler to guide me as I m cutting them, it helps me make sure they are all the same size and looks better on a tray. -Don t cut them too far in advance or you will get a little skin forming on the exposed sides of the jigglers, I ll often start the night before with my first layers, finish my additional layers the next morning and cut them a few hours before I need them. Displayed on wax paper
Using my pampered chef tray; hearts, fish and squares -I have 3 inch high plastic containers from the dollarstore which I use for my Jello. I poor the mix in them and because they have lids I can stack them in the fridge. Then I use the same containers to display the cut jello shots, when working in bulk this works best for me, much easier to store and transport. Plastic wrap and tin foil sticks to jello so you don t want to cover them with those. Wax paper works ok. For fancier parties where I am making less in quantity I will use serving plates but they are harder to transport. I love my Pampered Chef carry tray with the built in ice packs it s perfect for Jello shots and keeps them cool. -I like my Jello strong! So I tend to use 1 cup of water to 1 cup of booze. But it does taste strong. Pour a bit less booze in your measuring cup and top it up with water for a shot less strong. -Buy whatever colors and flavors of Jello (or no name Jello it really doesn t matter) match the theme of the event or your tastes. I ve found every Jello flavor goes well with Rum and Vodka, but I have also enjoyed Tequila, Amaretto, Champagne, and Peach flavored booze in my recipes. -When possible opt for clear colored booze, more than once I have used dark rum and not been pleased with the color I ended up with.
-Lately I have been making a small batch of sugar-free jello shots for my mother in law, who is diabetic, she doesn t have very many but it s nice she feels included. -JELLO SHOTS HIT YOU HARD! You may not feel it right away but its coming, go slow, and enjoy responsibly. -Non-Alcoholic Jello Jigglers are also a nice addition. We have had fun making them lately for the kids and their parties. I used cookie cutters to make stars for Bee s Dora nd themed 2 birthday, she loves Jello Jigglers! But we all have friends who don t drink so again it s a nice way to make them feel included when we Cheers Jello shots. -I have had an occasion or two where we had young kids and drinkers at the same event. I didn t want a little kid to grab a booze filled piece of Jello so I made the adult ones square and the kids non-alcoholic ones were fun shapes from silicon molds. VERY WELL LABELED! The trick is to make the nonalcoholic ones prettier and keep the adult ones out of reach! Jello shots are a great way to bring some fun to a party! Click To Tweet
Some crowd flavors: favorite specialty Rum and Cherry Coke- Instead of boiling water, boil a cup of Coke and use cherry Jello and of course rum Green circles Amaretto Strawberry are Sour, Daiquiri had a tiny piece of strawberry on top, and the purple squares had a chunky sugar topping White Jello with colored squares- this one is a bit labor intensive but super easy. For the full recipe click this link http://jelly-shot-test-kitchen.blogspot.ca/2011/02/superbowl-j ello-shots.html. This is not my personal favorite taste-wise, but it looks so pretty and my friends love it. It worked especially well with Christmas colors and a bit of mint flavor for a Candy Cane inspired treat. Amaretto Sour- Boil water and use lime Jello powder. Add Amaretto and a splash of lime juice. This one always disappears first! [bctt tweet= A easy way to bring some fun to a themed-party is to make Jello jiggler shots! So easy and they look really pretty.
Please comment below, what is your favourite treat to bring to a party? Are you a fan of the Jello shots?
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