The jello shot has become even more fun recently with all of the creative ideas circulating the web. I saw this one on a dessert blog I have been enjoying lately called Erica Sweet Tooth. They were a bit labor intense due to the gutting of the limes, but I think they turned out pretty adorable.
A helpful tip is using a mini muffin pan to hold the lime halves in place like this while they set in the fridge. This also works well when using strawberries instead of lime rinds because if the jello seeps out it stays contained in the pan and you can scoop it back into the strawberry when it becomes solid. (You can see a little of the strawberries on the very top of the picture above.)
Watermelon Shaped Strawberry Limeade Jello Shots
Idea adapted from That's So Michelle
Recipe yields about 40 wedges
10 limes, pulp removed
1 box Strawberry Jello (or use any other red flavor)
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold Strawberry vodka (or whatever flavor you like)
Black colored food gel
-Halve limes and use a melon baller to juice limes and pull the pulp from the rind. My approach in doing this was to juice them, pull out the pulp and then gently turn them inside out to scrape out as much of the white skin as possible. That white skin is what tastes bitter, so the more you can remove the less bitter flavor your jello shots will have. Place lime halves in mini muffin pan empty side up.
- In a separate bowl, add 1 cup of boiling water to the Jello powder and stir for 2 minutes until fully dissolved.
- Stir in a cup of cold strawberry (or regular) vodka.
- Pour mixture into lime halves, filling all the way to the top.
- Chill Jello-limes in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Using a sharp knife, carefully cut each lime half in half again, making wedges.
- Paint on watermelon seeds with colored food gel.
As I mentioned above, I also tried some strawberry filled jello shots which were more tasty to eat, but a little tricky to make. You have to trim the tips to get them to stand upright & if you take too much off the bottom, the liquid jello will spill out before it sets. They basically looked like the picture below, but filled with the jello shot recipe above. (Using the mini muffin pans will really help.) My sister (in-law) Judy had a simple recipe for Strawberry Cheesecake Bites that were another delicious way to use strawberries as a fun little edible vessel. Try these for a guaranteed home run at your next summer gathering.
Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
from Nutmeg Nanny
Ingredients:
1 lb large strawberries
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (can use 1/3 less fat)
3-4 tbsp powdered sugar (4 tbsp for a sweeter filling)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Graham cracker crumbs
Directions:
-Rinse strawberries and cut the tops off. Carefully scoop out insides with a melon baller and trim the bottoms to create a flat surface so the berries stand upright. Prep all strawberries and set aside.
-In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy
-Add cream cheese mix to a piping bag or ziploc with the corner snipped off.
-Fill strawberries with cheesecake mixture. Once strawberries are filled, sprinkle tops with graham cracker crumbs. You can also drizzle a little melted white or milk chocolate over the tops to dress them up some more.
-If not serving immediately, refrigerate until serving.
1 box Strawberry Jello (or use any other red flavor)
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold Strawberry vodka (or whatever flavor you like)
Black colored food gel
-Halve limes and use a melon baller to juice limes and pull the pulp from the rind. My approach in doing this was to juice them, pull out the pulp and then gently turn them inside out to scrape out as much of the white skin as possible. That white skin is what tastes bitter, so the more you can remove the less bitter flavor your jello shots will have. Place lime halves in mini muffin pan empty side up.
- In a separate bowl, add 1 cup of boiling water to the Jello powder and stir for 2 minutes until fully dissolved.
- Stir in a cup of cold strawberry (or regular) vodka.
- Pour mixture into lime halves, filling all the way to the top.
- Chill Jello-limes in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Using a sharp knife, carefully cut each lime half in half again, making wedges.
- Paint on watermelon seeds with colored food gel.
As I mentioned above, I also tried some strawberry filled jello shots which were more tasty to eat, but a little tricky to make. You have to trim the tips to get them to stand upright & if you take too much off the bottom, the liquid jello will spill out before it sets. They basically looked like the picture below, but filled with the jello shot recipe above. (Using the mini muffin pans will really help.) My sister (in-law) Judy had a simple recipe for Strawberry Cheesecake Bites that were another delicious way to use strawberries as a fun little edible vessel. Try these for a guaranteed home run at your next summer gathering.
Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
from Nutmeg Nanny
Ingredients:
1 lb large strawberries
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (can use 1/3 less fat)
3-4 tbsp powdered sugar (4 tbsp for a sweeter filling)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Graham cracker crumbs
Directions:
-Rinse strawberries and cut the tops off. Carefully scoop out insides with a melon baller and trim the bottoms to create a flat surface so the berries stand upright. Prep all strawberries and set aside.
-In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy
-Add cream cheese mix to a piping bag or ziploc with the corner snipped off.
-Fill strawberries with cheesecake mixture. Once strawberries are filled, sprinkle tops with graham cracker crumbs. You can also drizzle a little melted white or milk chocolate over the tops to dress them up some more.
-If not serving immediately, refrigerate until serving.
