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 Jack
O' Lantern
Jello Mold
Jello molds are a favorite holiday dessert and we'll help to
take the guess work out of making them.
This
Jack O' Lantern shaped Jello mold looks great sitting on your serving
table as a spooky Halloween treat!
Needless to say, we
use orange flavored Jell-O because of its orange color and
sweet flavor. The pan we used is actually a Jack O' Lantern
shaped cake baking pan, but it can also be used for creating
a gelatin mold.
 This
non-stick Jack O' Lantern shaped aluminum pan measures nine
inches across and a little more than an inch deep.
Wash the pan out thoroughly with
warm, soapy water to insure that it is clean before using,
then dry it completely with paper towel.
Spray or
wipe a small amount of vegetable oil to lightly coat the inside the
pan, making sure to get all the crevices. Then, using paper towel, wipe out any excess oil and set
the pan aside for now.
 Now
its time to make the Jello. Follow the directions on the Jello
dessert box, mixing either one
six ounce package or two, three ounce packages of Orange flavored Jello in a large mixing bowl or a large
measuring cup as we did, with one important exception. For a
firmer and stronger Jello mold that will be much less likely
to tear apart when you remove it from the pan, you will need to
decrease the amount of cold water from two cups to
one and a half cups.
Rather than
pouring the
gelatin mixture into the pan and
then trying to get it into the refrigerator without it
spilling over the edges, we do it the other way around by
placing the pan in the refrigerator first and then
carefully pouring the gelatin into it until it is as close
to the top as possible without it spilling over. The closer
it is to the top, the easier it will be to remove it from
the pan.
 Allow the gelatin to setup for at least four hours.
There are two tests that the
Jello should pass to make sure that it has setup and is
ready to be removed from its mold. First, lightly place a
finger on its surface, it should not be sticky to the touch. Next
is the tilt test. Tilt the mold about 45° to see if the
Jello sag's to the side of the pan, if it does its not
ready.
Unfortunately,
releasing the Jello from the mold is not always as easy as
you might think, and even though you coated the inside of
the plastic pan with a thin coat of cooking oil, the Jello
mold probably won't just slip out of the pan. When the Jello
has setup and is firm,
run the tip of a thin knife between the Jello and the pan
about a 1/2" deep to help loosen it. Then, use your
fingers to gently pull the surface of the Jello away from
the top edge of the pan.
 Next,
you will need to warm the pan to slightly soften the outer
surface of the Jello just a bit. To do this, fill a large
bowl with a few of inches of warm water. Don't use hot water
as this will melt the gelatin. Holding the pan on either
side, dip it into the warm water for about ten seconds.
Don't let the water flow over the edge of the pan and
onto the Jello. Lift the pan out of the water and give it a
few sideways shakes to help loosen it from the pan.
Place
your serving tray centered on top of the pan and invert them
together. Before lifting the pan, gently slide the mold to
the center of the serving dish if needed. Slowly lift the
pan from one side and the Jello should slip and
onto the
serving tray. If the Jello doesn't slip out, dip the pan in
warm water again for ten seconds. Keep the mold refrigerated until ready to
serve. To serve, slice with a thin, sharp knife and
place on Halloween dessert plates.
If you want a topping to serve
on the side, you can add a very small amount of red and blue
food color to a container of Cool Whip for a nice purple
topping. You can also garnish the serving dish by placing
candy around the Jell-O mold. You can also garnish
the serving dish by placing candy around the Jello mold.
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