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These fun and bright Jello Cookies are simple to make! If you know how to bake up any other cookie and have Jello powder on hand, you have a colorful and fruity treat right at your fingertips.
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It’s winter while I’m writing this, but I’m thinking of summer again… isn’t that always how it is?! And once summer comes along, I’ll be thinking of Christmas … 🤣
But for now, I’m dreaming about bright colors and flavors. These Jello Cookies, for example, are bright and fruity treats you can make for yourself and your loved ones in just about 20 minutes.
They’re essentially sugar cookies with jello flavoring, so you have chewy, moist treats chock full of watermelon, apple, or grape tastiness. (Or whatever flavors you love!)
I’m imagining having a whole tray of these with some lemonade! (Kid-friendly for the kiddos, and maybe spiked for me?!) 😉
So, satisfy your sweet tooth with our Jello cookies. These colorful treats offer a unique twist on a classic favorite. They’re perfect for parties, picnics, or as an after-dinner dessert. Try them in different flavors and colors to mix it up. These Jello cookies will be a hit among kids and adults alike.
It’s such a simple change to your basic cookie recipe, but it does so much to brighten things up! I hope you enjoy them too!
Fruity Cookies: Ingredients & Substitutions
For this Jello Cookies recipe, you will need …
Ingredients
- butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, flour – standard cookie-making recipes! You know all about these ingredients even if you’ve never baked before.
- baking powder and baking soda – these two ingredients will give your cookies more of a “puffy” texture.
- cream of tartar – this may seem like a weird ingredient, but it actually provides your cookies with that “puff” as well!
- Jello powder – 4 different flavors. Grab your favorites!
- food coloring – to match the flavors of the Jello. Of course, as an April Fool’s, you COULD make purple-colored orange cookies or blue-colored watermelon cookies, but that’s up to you.
How to make Jello Cookies
First, prep your supplies. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
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Second, make your flour and butter mixtures. Cream the butter and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl until it’s light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla. In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
Third, make your dough. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough into four equal portions, placing each portion of dough in a separate small bowl.
Fourth, add Jello to the dough. Add 2 tablespoons of Jello to each bowl, using different flavors for each bowl. Add the coordinating food coloring to the same bowl as well. Using clean hands, knead the Jello and food coloring into the cookie dough until it is thoroughly combined.
Fifth, bake your cookies! Using clean hands, roll the dough into 1-inch balls, then lightly roll the balls into the remaining coordinating color of jello powder. Place the cookie dough balls onto the baking sheet about 2 inches apart, then flatten each ball slightly with the bottom of a glass. Bake them for 8-10 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown.
Finally, let your cookies cool and chow down! Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to rest on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes. After, transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Jello Cookies: FAQs
This should make about 36 cookies, give or take.
This is super quick! Just 20 minutes. You’ll need 10 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes of cooking time.
Absolutely, if you don’t want to make the cookies from scratch. This may also be helpful if you have a dietary restriction (e.g., gluten intolerance) and you need to use a mix you know is gluten-free.
Other recipes you may enjoy
Jello Cookies
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- Jell-O powder, 4 different flavors
- food coloring to match the colors of the Jello
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cream the butter and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until a soft dough forms.
- Divide the dough into four equal portions, placing each portion of dough in a separate small bowl.
- Add 2 tablespoons of Jello to each bowl, using different flavors for each bowl. Add the coordinating food coloring to the same bowl. Using clean hands, knead the Jello and food coloring into the cookie dough until it is thoroughly combined.
- Scoop balls of dough into 1-inch balls. Using clean hands, roll the dough into balls, then lightly roll the balls into the remaining coordinating color of jello powder.
- Place the cookie dough balls onto the baking sheet, 2 inches apart, then flatten each ball slightly with the bottom of a glass.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to rest on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Try topping these fruity cookies with frosting – and sprinkles! 😊 Or leave them plain, if you prefer!
- You can use one (or two) flavors of Jello if you prefer.
- Try rolling the dough balls in granulated sugar instead of the remaining Jello.
- Short on time? You can use premade dough or a boxed cookie mix to speed things up.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
