How to make quick and easy Jello sugar cookies with your favorite Jello flavors. Soft and chewy, these cookies are so colorful and perfect for holidays and celebrations, like baby showers and parties.
Growing up I baked a lot with my grandma. One of her favorite desserts to make was easy Jello cookies, essentially sugar cookies rolled in Jello powder before baking.
These cookies made with Jello always had the crispy, chewy texture of a sugar cookie yet a slightly fruity taste, as well. As a kid, I absolutely loved that tangy flavor.
Why I Think You'll Like This Recipe Too
- They're super easy to make.
- You only need a few simple ingredients to make them.
- They're such a colorful and versatile food for any type of party or celebration with the people in your life, like friends, family, and co-workers. Think red and green for Christmas, blue for a boy baby shower, pink for a girl baby shower, green for St. Patrick's Day, pink or red for Valentine's Day… You get the picture.
- You can use whatever flavor Jello powder you like. So, you can make strawberry Jello cookies or raspberry Jello cookies, even lime Jello cookies.
- There's no need for frosting on these cookies because the Jello powder adds enough of a festive touch as is.
- Kids love to help make this Jello sugar cookie recipe because of how fun it is.
Ingredients and Substitutions Notes:
You'll need a few simple ingredients to make this Jello cookie recipe…
- Unsalted Butter – You can use salted butter if that's all you have; you may just want to decrease the amount of salt you use by maybe 1/2 teaspoon.
- Cane Sugar – You can also use granulated sugar.
- Large Eggs
- Vanilla Extract – I love using pure Mexican vanilla I get from Leos Imports. It makes such delicious desserts.
- Whole Milk – You can also use 2% or skim milk, but keep in mind, this lower fat milk may change the texture of the cookie.
- All-Purpose Flour – I recommend using unbleached all-purpose flour. You can also make these gluten-free Jello sugar cookies by using a good gluten-free flour.
- Baking Powder
- Sea Salt – Or just table salt. I prefer to use Redmond Sea Salt.
- Jello Mix – You can use whatever flavors Jello you like. I picked up a box of Raspberry Jello and Berry Blue Jello for this batch. Just be sure to keep it in powder form, no need to actually make Jello with it.
How to Make Jello Sugar Cookies
Here's a basic rundown, step-by-step, of how to make Jello cookies for your own family.
First Mix the Cookie Dough…
- In a large mixing bowl, cream or mix together the softened butter and sugar.
- Then mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing everything together 'til it forms a soft dough.
Form and Roll the Cookies…
- Take spoonfuls of dough and roll into 1-inch dough balls. Pour a little bit of the Jello powder at a time, straight out of the box into small bowls, and roll the dough balls in the Jello powder. Again, you can use raspberry, strawberry Jello, or whatever flavor you like.
- Place the Jello coated dough balls on an un-greased cookie sheet.
- Using the bottom of a glass or cup, flatten the dough balls to about 1/2-inch thickness; this allows the cookies to bake evenly.
- Bake at 350° F for about 8-10 minutes. When the cookies are done, remove from the cookie sheet and place on a cooling rack.
Once they've cooled, you can serve them and enjoy with a glass of cold milk.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ's
Several factors play a role in whether or not your cookies turn out chewy, probably most of all, the ingredients that you use. As long as you follow this recipe to a t and use the proper ingredients, you should have chewy sugar cookies. If you use margarine instead of butter, or melted butter instead of softened butter, that will greatly affect that chewy texture. If you don't use large eggs, that can change the texture. Not using whole milk can also change the texture of your cookies. Changing the ratio of ingredients can also affect the end results.
Again, ingredients. Make sure you follow the recipe to a t, including using the proper amount of dry ingredients, like flour and baking powder. But also, oven temperature can really affect how cookies bake. It's a given that oven temperatures will vary from household to household. So, if you notice your sugar cookies are coming out flat and not baking into a soft, chewy cookie, think about decreasing the temperature of your oven before baking.
Once they've cooled completely, you can store them in an airtight container on the counter.
Yes, you totally can. Just place completely cooled cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag, and put them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
If you love this Jello sugar cookie recipe, you'll love these cookies too…
- Best chocolate chip cookies
- Mom's cut out sugar cookies
- Pumpkin sugar cookies
- Chewy peanut butter cookies
- Oatmeal raisin cookies
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Jello Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups cane sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 3 ounces Jello mix whichever flavor/s you prefer
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350° F.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream or mix together the softened butter and sugar.
- Then mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing everything together 'til it forms a soft dough.
- Take spoonfuls of the dough and roll into 1-inch dough balls. Pour a little bit of the Jello powder at a time, straight out of the box into small bowls, and roll the dough balls in the Jello powder. Again, you can use raspberry, strawberry Jello, or whatever flavor you like.
- Place the Jello coated dough balls on an un-greased cookie sheet.
- Using the bottom of a glass or cup, flatten the dough balls to about 1/2-inch thickness; this allows the cookies to bake evenly.
- Bake at 350° F for about 8-10 minutes. When the cookies are done, remove them from the cookie sheet and place on a cooling rack.
- Once they've cooled, you can serve them and enjoy with a glass of cold milk.
