Rainbow Jell-O Sugar Cookies

I have recently seen some Jell-O cookies circulating around on Pinterest and was intrigued as to what they would taste like, so I decided to try them out!  My niece’s birthday is this week, so I thought I would make some for her as a fun, colorful, birthday treat.  Happy 8th Birthday, Chloe!

They turned out to be chewy, tart, and quite tasty!

First you start out with basic sugar cookie dough.

Then, divide the dough into 4 different pieces and add your favorite Jell-O flavors.

I chose cherry, orange, lemon, and lime.

My daughter had a blast playing with the dough and shaping it like play-doh!

Roll the dough into 1 inch balls.  Roll in additional Jell-O mix and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat.

They kind of look like big candy dots, don’t they?

Flatten with the bottom of a bowl.

Sprinkle with additional matching sanding sugar, if you like.

Bake, and voila!

These would be fun using your favorite colors for different party themes or holidays.  My favorite flavors of the batch were the cherry and lemon cookies.  I’m still curious to try out different Jell-O flavors like blue raspberry, watermelon, and grape.

For more vibrant colors, you can add a little gel food paste to the dough.  I did not add any color to mine but the green and yellow could have used a little more color (lemon/lime).  You can also enhance the color with various coordinating sanding sugars.

My husband calls these Obama cookies, but I call them…

Rainbow Jell-O Sugar Cookies

Servings 2 dozens
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 4 3 oz packages Jell-O, any flavor

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour and baking powder until just combined.
  • Divide dough into 4 equal sections and separate into 4 bowls. Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of Jell-O onto each section and knead to thoroughly combine. (*If you have children, they love to help at this step!)
  • Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and then roll the dough balls into their corresponding Jell-O flavor to coat. Place onto baking sheet about 2 inches apart, and flatten slightly with the bottom of a bowl. If desired, sprinkle with coordinating sanding sugar to decorate.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 3-5 minutes and move to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container.