Watch out for exploding smiles!!!
Once again, it’s time for the Glorious Fourth! And that brings up the usual dilemma: after your traditional backyard BBQ, what do you serve for dessert?
Because it’s a patriotic holiday, you really want a dessert that’s red, white, and blue. So there are lots of recipes out there that combine fresh strawberries and blueberries with white cake, or white chocolate, or whipped cream. And yes, these are delicious…but is that really the only way to make a red-white-and-blue dessert?
Not when there’s Jell-o, it isn’t!
My 4th of July Firecrackers are a super easy layered dessert you can make with three kinds of gelatin. You use Berry Blue for the blue stripe, Cherry for the red on top…and in between, plain gelatin that you mix with milk, sugar, and vanilla to make the white stripe.
It takes a little planning ahead, because you need to give each layer time to set in the cups before you can add the next one. But it’s really simple, and a maraschino cherry on top makes the perfect “fuse” for your firecracker.
Plus, you can make these as far ahead of time as you like. Just keep them chilled in the fridge, and whip them out when it’s time to watch the fireworks.
Jello Firecracker Dessert
Makes 20 approximately 20 firecrackers
(printable recipe at bottom of post)
Ingredients
1 1/3 cups boiled water
2 – 3 oz. packages of Jell-O gelatin (1 Cherry and 1 Berry Blue)
1 envelope of Knox Brand of non flavored gelatin
1 cup milk
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
20 maraschino cherries with stems, (drain well and pat dry)
Directions:
1. Start by boiling water in a small saucepan. In small bowl add 2/3 cup boiling water to berry gelatin mix; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Repeat in separate bowl with cherry gelatin mix. Allow to cool.
2. In another bowl add ¼ cup of milk and sprinkle in 1 envelope of unflavored gelatin; let stand 5 min. Bring remaining milk to simmer in saucepan. Remove from heat; stir in sugar and vanilla. Add to plain gelatin mixture; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Cool 10 minutes.
3. Spoon berry gelatin into 20 (1-oz.) plastic shot, add about 2 tsp. to each. Refrigerate 15 min. or until set but not firm. For the next layer top with unflavored gelatin mixture, adding about 2 tsp. to each cup. Refrigerate 10 minutes.
4. Insert cherry, stem end up, into white gelatin layer in each cup and refrigerate 2 more minutes.
5. Finish the top layer with cherry gelatin, add about 2 tsp. to each cup. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
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Jello Firecracker Dessert
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups boiled water
- 2 – 3 oz. packages of Jell-O gelatin 1 Cherry and 1 Berry Blue
- 1 envelope of Knox Brand of non flavored gelatin
- 1 cup milk
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 20 maraschino cherries with stems (drain well and pat dry)
Instructions
- Start by boiling water in a small saucepan. In small bowl add 2/3 cup boiling water to berry gelatin mix; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Repeat in separate bowl with cherry gelatin mix. Allow to cool.
- In another bowl add ¼ cup of milk and sprinkle in 1 envelope of unflavored gelatin; let stand 5 min. Bring remaining milk to simmer in saucepan. Remove from heat; stir in sugar and vanilla. Add to plain gelatin mixture; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Cool 10 minutes.
- Spoon berry gelatin into 20 (1-oz.) plastic shot, add about 2 tsp. to each. Refrigerate 15 min. or until set but not firm. For the next layer top with unflavored gelatin mixture, adding about 2 tsp. to each cup. Refrigerate 10 minutes.
- Insert cherry, stem end up, into white gelatin layer in each cup and refrigerate 2 more minutes.
- Finish the top layer with cherry gelatin, add about 2 tsp. to each cup. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
telephonelady says
looks very easy festive and yummy. will try for sure. Thanks Corey
Corey says
Yay! I hope you do 🙂
Platt College says
This is great. I loved those firecracker pops as a kid. This will really be good for the 4th.
Cindy Langejans says
I would love to make these for the 4th if July. Has anyone made them with Alcohol? I’m wondering how they would turn out. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Cindy
Corey says
Hi Cindy! I have heard of a few folks making these with alcohol and have turned out great! I could follow the directions from your normal alcoholic shot recipe to see amounts, and then just add it to this one. Can you please let us know how it turns out if you give it a try?
Cindy Langejans says
Corey,
I did make the firecrackers with alcohol. They were loved by everyone. Differently going to make again!!
Thank you,
Cindy
Corey says
Awesome Cindy! How much and what alcohol did you end up using?
Cindy Langejans says
I used Tito’s Vodka. When making each color of jello, I used 3/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup vodka.
Ashley says
I was concerned when I started to make this, that the jello boxes said 2 cups of water, and this recipe only said 2/3 of a cup. I reread a bunch of times to make sure I wasn’t missing it. I don’t think I did… mine only made 15 instead of 20, I used a tablespoon instead of 2 teaspoons. It looks beautiful! However, they are very hard… Next year I will add a lot more water. Then I think it will be 5 stars 🙂