Easy to Make Jello Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes cookies chewy and not hard? ›

The science is simple: According to the flour authorities over at Bob's Red Mill, cornstarch can help “soften the rigid proteins of the flour, resulting in a light and chewy dessert.” “The cornstarch complements the flour in absorbing the liquids, but won't develop gluten structure like the flour will,” stresses ...

Use 1/2 of the hot water called for. Dissolve the jello, then use the milk instead of water for the added cold water. The milk jello will set on top making a foamy layer. I use to do this to make dessert look fancy for my kids when I only had a budget for jello.

Different types of sugars affect the texture because they absorb different amounts of water. Remember moisture is the key! White sugar creates crispier cookies and brown sugar creates chewier cookies.

If you'd like to make the jello set faster, use enough ice cubes to fill 1 cup (240 milliliters). Keep in mind that the jello will start to set up rapidly, so you will need to work quickly. If you are using a larger, 6-ounce (170 grams) packet of jello, use 2 cups (475 milliliters) of cold water.

Freezing prepared Jell-O gives it a totally new texture that makes it even more fun to eat. The clear, jiggly gel transforms into a cloudy neon color that's almost entirely opaque. The texture is still soft and chewy, but it's lighter and more airy, even when completely frozen.

Light corn syrup is another ingredient that you can add to cookie dough that will help it stay softer longer. The corn syrup you buy at the grocery store is not the high-fructose corn syrup that soft drinks are made with; it's a sugar that is liquid at room temperature and helps other sugars say liquid at high heat.

Use Brown Sugar

Add two tablespoons of light or dark brown sugar to your cookie recipe. Brown sugar can hold extra moisture because of its molecular structure (science!). The glucose and fructose found in it are hygroscopic, which means they suck up and hang onto moisture and moisture = soft, chewy cookies.

To create cookies, you typically use whole eggs and their proteins for flavor, leavening, structure, and color. Eggs promote puffiness and spreading in cookies, while also holding the cookie together during baking.

The Science of Curdled Milk

Milk is a mixture (called an emulsion) of butterfat, proteins, and water. When milk is boiled, the three components of the emulsion break apart: the milk proteins coagulate and separate from the water, producing what is commonly known as curdled milk.

In one mixing bowl, pour the packet of gelatin mix in. Carefully add 1 cup of boiling hot water inside. Stir until the powder is dissolved. Now slowly stir in 1 cup of cold water.

What happens if you use milk to make jello? ›

The best way I can describe gelatina de leche, or milk jello, is as a more firm, slightly more flavorful panna cotta. We steep cinnamon in the milk, and top it with fresh berries to counter the sweetness. We're also adding heavy cream to make the gelatina a little creamier.

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

Use Melted Butter

If the goal is a chewy cookie, then you absolutely need to be using melted butter. The technique of creaming softened butter and sugar together is often used for making cakes. And for good reason!

When setting jellies, break the cubes up and place in a microwave jug, place 1 tablespoon of water on it and place in the microwave on full power for 1 minute or until melted. Then top up with cold water, and you will find that your jelly will set in half the time.

Leave it for 5 minutes or so, stirring a couple of times and the heat transfers out really fast across the huge temperature differential, leaving it cool in no time. Then add the cold water. Now your jelly is cold before it even goes in the fridge, and it sets much, much faster.

The answer to this question may vary depending on the size of jello portions as well as on the temperature in the fridge. Generally speaking, most jello sets in 2-4 hours. Unless you make an extra-large jello dessert, 4 hours will be enough for gelatin to harden.