Why You Need To Try Adding Jell-O Powder To Your Cookies
Fruity, colorful, and jiggly. These are a few of the many words that come to mind when thinking about the nostalgia of Jell-O. Its versatility ranges from Jell-O pudding pops and cubed jigglers, to hurricane Jell-O shots with rum and fruit juice. Not to mention the abundance of Jell-O flavors to choose from.
According to the Jell-O website, the history of the beloved dessert dates back to 1897 when Pearle Wait invented it while coming up with new ideas for cough remedies and laxative tea. He didn't have the cash to market the product, so he sold it to Orator Frank Woodward, a powerhouse of the manufacturing world. This is when "JELL-O" started to take off, going through various advertising campaigns and eventually, staking its claim globally in 1964.
Jell-O has evolved from the high-class Jell-O salad in the '50s to sparkling white grape flavors in the late '90s, per Rad History and Mid Century Menu. Today, the powder is used in a variety of recipes that go beyond a bowl of colorful Jell-O, and one of them is cookies. Here's why Jell-O and cookies are a match made in heaven.
They're like fruity sugar cookies
Believe it or not, Jell-O cookies are easy to make and popular in the dessert world. Not too many ingredients are needed, as the only addition to a standard cookie recipe is Jell-O powder, per Taste of Home. You can also mix and match various Jello-O powders to make a vibrant rainbow of cookies.
The source describes these as a spin on sugar cookies, albeit more colorful and fruity. Luckily, the fruit flavors aren't overwhelming, but it also depends on which kind of Jell-O you use. For example, strawberry and berry blue flavors will be much more pronounced in the cookies, while lemon and lime flavors will provide mild tangy notes.
Kitchn recommends Jell-O cookies as a flavorful addition to tea time, and since these are reminiscent of sugar cookies, Bigelow Teas suggests using jasmine green tea to offset their sweetness. But if tea time isn't your thing, you can definitely enjoy these cookies any time of the day. We won't judge!