Easy St. Patrick's Day Dessert Idea
This Easy St. Patrick's Day Dessert Idea was born out of desperation for a quick and easy dessert to impress the grandkids! Isn't it funny that a simple box of lime green Jell-O and a few extra ingredients could impress some adorable grandkids?
When the grandkids come over, I like to have something special for them. It doesn't always happen but hopefully, they fondly remember the times it does. Doesn't everyone love these little mini dessert glasses?
I wanted a green dessert for St. Patrick's Day, and of course, lime Jell-O came to mind. A bowl full of lime Jell-O just was not festive enough. Pistachio pudding was in the pantry but I decided to use some Cool-Whip. The thought was to add some green food coloring to make the Cool-Whip a pastel green color, too.
When I opened the cabinet, I noticed the Creme de Menthe. Hmmm... Wonder how some mint flavoring in the Cool Whip would taste? A plan was born. This is the resulting recipe.
St. Patrick's Day Mini Dessert
1 - 6-ounce pkg. of Jell-O Lime Gelatin
2 cups Boiling Water
1 - 1/2 cups Cold Water
1 tsp. Creme de Menthe
1 - 8-ounce container Cool Whip
Green food coloring
1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Add the 1 - 1/2 cups of cold water to the gelatin mixture and stir well.
Remove one cup of the liquid gelatin and add one teaspoon of the Creme de Menthe to the one cup of gelatin. (You could add more, if you like, or completely omit this.) Refrigerate the cup of gelatin until it is thickened but not set.
Pour the remaining gelatin into an 8" X 8" baking pan lined with non-stick aluminum foil. (It will be much easier to lift out the set gelatin.)
Chill this until the gelatin is firm. (In the fridge, it wasn't firming up fast enough for me. So, I placed it in the freezer for a few more minutes.)
When it was firm enough to cut with a knife and hold its shape, the aluminum foil was lifted out of the pan. A sharp knife was used to cut the gelatin into little cubes.
Place 1/2 of the 8-ounce tub of Cool-Whip in a mixing bowl, and by hand, beat in the one cup of thickened gelatin. It will be a pale mint color. Add a few drops of green food coloring to make it a little brighter, if you like.
Spoon the Cool-Whip gelatin mixture into 8 - mini dessert dishes. Chill, while the gelatin in the square pan is firming.
* I found the perfect set-up for chilling these! This plastic refrigerator bin, which I found at the Tuesday Morning store, is perfect for this. Notice, in the bottom I placed two silicone potholders. The glasses have a tendency to slide on most trays. The silicone holds them perfectly and the edges of the plastic bin are high enough to contain them nicely!
Divide the Jell-O cubes between the eight dessert dishes, placing them on top of the Cool-Whip gelatin mixture. At this point, you will begin to see how pretty these really are!
Add 1/2 tsp. of Vanilla to the remaining topping. It freshens it up a bit and tastes a little less store-bought. Top each of the desserts with a dollop of the whipped topping. I used a pastry bag, fitted with a large round tip, to do this.
The little glass dessert dishes were, as always, a hit! Although we have several different styles of these little dishes, the round mini cocktail dishes reminded me of the Leprechaun's pot of gold. The little chocolate-filled gold coins I had picked up at Hobby Lobby were the perfect added touch.
Isn't it funny to see a brawny man with these petite dishes and the tiny spoons? I have to admit, it really amuses me to see the dichotomy! Is it just me or do you get a kick out of that, too?
Although they really liked the Irish stew, the Sophie and Aidan couldn't wait to have dessert! They both loved it and Aidan kept saying, "I really like these little dishes, too."
Imagine all of the fruit flavors that could be substituted for this little recipe! They look so festive! Yes, I will use this again with a different flavor. This little 'Easy St. Patrick's Day Dessert Idea' was really light, fresh, and tasty!
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