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I made these for my elderly neighbors.. they were a big hit, they LOVED them! Thank you for this great idea!
-Cheryl
We’re getting ready for Valentine’s Day by celebrating with a whole week of Valentine’s themed parfait recipes! That means every recipe we’re sharing this week will be served in a glass, which is pretty much my favorite way to serve anything – like french fries and pretzel sticks!
I adore parfaits for a few reasons.
1. they are served in glasses. Yes, this is totally obvious, but to me this means less of a mess.
2. they are already made into individual servings.
3. they are made up of layers upon layers of deliciousness.
And our first recipe for Valentine’s Parfait Week is just that – it’s all about the layers!
Layered Strawberry Jello Cups Recipe
If your Valentine is a fan of jello, I think they will be impressed if you make these layered strawberry jello cups! Or can you imagine the look on your kids faces if you were to surprise them with these jello cups?!
Usually I am all about chocolate on Valentine’s Day (just wait, a chocolate parfait will be coming) but jello is just so fun. Does it weird you out that you can mold it into any shape? That’s what I really like about jello!
In terms of Valentine’s Day treats, this one isn’t going to ruin your diet or send your kids into a chocolate induced sugar frenzy. Plus, it’s a great dessert for our non-chocolate loving friends, which is bizarre, how can you not like chocolate?!
Ingredients
- 5 boxes of strawberry jello mix, 3 oz each
- water
- cool whip
- strawberries
Total Time Required
Because each layer needs to set before you can add the next, this recipe takes a minimum of 11 hours, however that is based on estimating how long each layer will take to set. I found that it was easiest to make this recipe over the course of 2 days, just be sure to cover the cups in plastic wrap if they will be sitting in the fridge overnight.
You can easily switch out the strawberry jello for raspberry, mixed berry, or watermelon.. pick your Sweetie’s favorite!
WHAT SIZE GLASSES SHOULD I USE TO MAKE CHAMPAGNE JELLO CUPS?
The glasses I used are mongo BIG, 15 oz! That’s a whole lot of jello in one cup. You could definitely use smaller glasses, like these 5 oz ones I used in this white chocolate raspberry dessert mousse recipe, that way you’ll have more glasses to go around!
Valentine’s Day isn’t complete without mini oreo cheesecakes, maraschino cherry cookies, and peanut butter whipped cream.
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Strawberry Jello Cups
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 boxes Strawberry Jello mix, 3 oz each
- Water
- 2 cups Cool Whip, plus more for topping (about 2 containers)
- Strawberries, to top each parfait
Instructions
Layer 1:
- Combine 1 cup boiling water in a bowl with a packet of strawberry jello mix. Stir until the mixture is dissolved. Add in one cup of cold water and stir. Evenly divide this mixture among the cups you’ll be using. Refrigerate until set, 1-2 hours.5 boxes Strawberry Jello mix, Water
Layer 2:
- Combine 1 cup boiling water in a bowl with a packet of strawberry jello mix. Stir until the mixture is dissolved. Add in one cup of cold water and stir. Add in 1 cup of cool whip, and stir until mixed. Evenly divide this mixture among the cups you’ll be using, layering on top of the previous jello layer. Separation may occur, causing a lighter and darker layer. Refrigerate until set, 1-2 hours.
Layer 3:
- Combine 1 cup boiling water in a bowl with a packet of strawberry jello mix. Stir until the mixture is dissolved. Add in one cup of cold water and stir. Evenly divide this mixture among the cups you’ll be using. Refrigerate until set, 1-2 hours.
Layer 4:
- Combine 1 cup boiling water in a bowl with a packet of strawberry jello mix. Stir until the mixture is dissolved. Add in one cup of cold water and stir. Add in 1 cup of cool whip, and stir until mixed. Evenly divide this mixture among the cups you’ll be using, layering on top of the previous jello layer. Separation may occur, causing a lighter and darker layer. Refrigerate until set, 1-2 hours.2 cups Cool Whip
Layer 5:
- Combine 1 cup boiling water in a bowl with a packet of strawberry jello mix. Stir until the mixture is dissolved. Add in one cup of cold water and stir. Evenly divide this mixture among the cups you’ll be using. Refrigerate until set, 1-2 hours.
- Before serving top each parfait with cool whip and a strawberry.Strawberries, 2 cups Cool Whip
Can you use whipped cream instead of cool whip?
Cool whip is more stable than homemade whipped cream, but you could give it a try!
When we all lived at home my Mom made a rainbow layered jello in a baking dish or pan using different flavors of Jello I don’t remember if she used vanilla ice cream or cool whip. She usually had some kind of jello desserts for us. Miss her it will be 2 yrs in Feb. since she passed.
Can you make all the jello you need for all the jello-only layers and store on the counter, setting the 1st layer in the glasses and putting in the refrigerator? I can see that the mixture of jello + cool whip (can you use dream whip?) would lose the volume if it was done ahead of time but maybe not the jello-only layers? Thanks!
Hi Carille! As long as the jello mixture doesn’t set, then yes, you could leave it on the counter.
I am doing a raspberry pineapple combo for the Chiefs Super Bowl! Wish me luck. I’ll post pictures if it comes out good😂😂 I used to make this all the time when I was a kid growing up ! brings back happy memories! Thank you!
Hello! I want to make this for my church fundraiser and was wondering how many boxes of jello would I need to make 100 cups? For the size, I’m thinking about 5 oz. What do you think?
Hey! I know many people have asked about amounts and sizes. I used 4 of the 6oz boxes of Jell-O and 4 cups of Cool Whip (2 for each of 2 layers and filled 10 of 2 cup Tupperware “disposable” square containers for my son to take to work. It made four layers total and each layer was just a tad over 1/4 cup when I was filling the containers. Wish it would let me post a picture. They turned out beautiful for a more relaxed atmosphere! Hope maybe this helps!
Love this dessert so quick and easy