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4th of July Firecracker Jell-O Cups

By Jen Lunsford

on May 06, 2015, Updated Oct 21, 2020

11 Comments

These Red, white, and blue 4th of July Firecracker Jell-O Cups will be the hit at your Independence Day celebrations. Super simple layers of Jell-O in small cups with a cherry on top to resemble a firecracker. Super cute and fun!

4th of July Firecracker Jell-O Cups

Jell-O for summer bbqs is always super fun. My kiddos are the first to snag a cup or load their plate with any Jell-O or Jell-O salads we serve up. Jell-O is such a fun food. I am thinking the colors are what really puts all of us in a fun mood.

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I will quite often make a batch of Jell-O and fresh whipped cream to enjoy for a simple after dinner dessert. Growing up, we did not have dessert after every meal. When we did have dessert, it was a simple dessert like Jell-O or Homemade Chocolate Pudding.

With July 4th celebrations just around the corner, I made this batch of Firecracker Jell-O treats because I was anxious to share them with you plus I wanted to make sure the idea would work. I was super excited that these little red, white, and blue Jell-O shots worked out perfect. They are so bright, fun and perfect for our July 4th grill out.

The ingredients needed to make these Firecracker Jell-O Cups are super simple and inexpensive. You will need flavored Jell-O in red and blue colors, unflavored gelatin, milk, sugar, and maraschino cherries. Plus these Jell-O Cups are so simple that I plan to let my teen kiddos make them next time.

INGREDIENTS
1 Blue Jell-O Gelatin (like 3 oz package Berry Blue)
1 Red Jell-O Gelatin (like 3 oz package Cherry)
1 envelope Unflavored Gelatin (like Knox)
1 1/3 cups boiling Water
1 cup Milk
1/4 cup Sugar
Maraschino Cherries drained

DIRECTIONS
If you can find tall shot glasses they will work best, but any clear glass will do.
Place blue gelatin in a bowl and add 2/3 cup boiling water.
Stir well until dissolved and allow to cool.
Fill each cup 1/3 full of blue and place in refrigerator.
Add 1/3 cup of milk to another bowl and sprinkle unflavored gelatin over top.
Heat remaining 2/3 cup of milk to a boil.
Remove from heat and stir in sugar to dissolve.
Add heated milk to gelatin/milk mixture and stir until blended.
Allow to cool.
Gently fill all cups the next 1/3 of the way with white mixture and return to refrigerator.
Place red gelatin in a bowl and add 2/3 cup boiling water.
Stir well until dissolved and allow to cool.
Place a cherry on top of each glass and add about 1/4″ of red gelatin to each.
Place in refrigerator for 5 minutes.
Pull from refrigerator and try to adjust to get stems to point upward.
Fill each cup the rest of the way with red and place in refrigerator.

Do you host or attend a large July 4th party with family or friends? July 4th is one of our favorite holidays. There is nothing better than spending time with family, friends, enjoying great food and fireworks.

If you are looking for the same cups I used for our Firecracker Jell-O Cups, I found them at Kroger in the paper products section. They were super inexpensive and the size was perfect.

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4th of July Firecracker Jell-O Cups

By: Jen Lunsford

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 1 Blue Jell-O Gelatin, like 3 oz package Berry Blue
• ▢ 1 Red Jell-O Gelatin, like 3 oz package Cherry
• ▢ 1 envelope Unlavored Gelatin, like Knox
• ▢ 1 1/3 cups boiling Water
• ▢ 1 cup Milk
• ▢ 1/4 cup Sugar
• ▢ Maraschino Cherries drained

Instructions 

• If you can find tall shot glasses they will work best, but any clear glass will do.
• Place blue gelatin in a bowl and add 2/3 cup boiling water.
• Stir well until dissolved and allow to cool.
• Fill each cup 1/3 full of blue and place in refrigerator.
• Add 1/3 cup of milk to another bowl and sprinkle unflavored gelatin over top.
• Heat remaining 2/3 cup of milk to a boil.
• Remove from heat and stir in sugar to dissolve.
• Add heated milk to gelatin/milk mixture and stir until blended.
• Allow to cool.
• Gently fill all cups the next 1/3 of the way with white mixture and return to refrigerator.
• Place red gelatin in a bowl and add 2/3 cup boiling water.
• Stir well until dissolved and allow to cool.
• Place a cherry on top of each glass and add about 1/4" of red gelatin to each.
• Place in refrigerator for 5 minutes.
• Pull from refrigerator and try to adjust to get stems to point upward.
• Fill each cup the rest of the way with red and place in refrigerator.

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Looking for other July 4th recipe ideas? Be sure to check out these great recipes I have shared…