Jell-O and Meringues

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread. 

It’s about time for a sweet treat week again! We decided to go with the bowlful of jelly line and a nose like a cherry and we came up with some sweet treats. You wouldn't necessarily eat these sweets as dessert but you could put them out as a treat to nibble on here and there.

Nicole came up with a meringue recipe that you can make into Christmas wreaths with some candied cherries to make it even more festive. You can also make a bunch of different non-Christmas shapes as well. So check out the recipe...

Christmas Wreath Meringues

2 egg whites

1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

2/3 cup berry sugar (or granulated sugar)

In a small deep bowl, beat egg whites with lemon juice until foamy. Add cream of tartar. Gradually beat in sugar, about 1 Tbsp at a time, beating well after each addition, until stiff shiny peaks form.

Pipe small rings onto parchment paper or foil-lined baking sheets, or drop batter by the teaspoonful.

Before baking, decorate the rings with slivers of candied cherries.

Bake in 250°F oven for 1 ¼ hours or until firm. Turn off oven; leave meringues in oven for 1 hour longer. (Meringues can be layered between waxed paper in airtight container and stored for up to 2 weeks.)

Jello-O is not everyone’s piece of cake. Some people are forced to eat it after they have had dental or mouth surgery so it doesn’t appeal to all, but this way I have for you is quite yummy and less jiggly. This recipe that I have is a family recipe that has been passed around for years now. We picked green Jell-O for Christmas but you can do this with any colour/flavour. We also went with various Christmas cookie cutter shapes but you can pick shapes to match the occasion you are celebrating, or you can even just cut them into squares or diamonds.  

Finger Jell-O

3 packages of 3 oz. Jell-O (we used Lime but you can do it with whatever flavour of your choosing)

3 packages of Gelatin

3 cups of boiling water

1 cup of half and half cream

Mix Jell-O and Gelatin powder together in a large bowl.

Add boiling water and let it sit/cool for 10 minutes.

Add in cream and stir. Pour into a 9x13 inch pan.

Let it sit overnight. Use cookie cutters or cut into shapes and serve.