Firecracker Jello Shots

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I have another fun 4th of July Jello shot for you today. Maraschino cherries are what makes these firecracker Jello shots look like little firecrackers. These Jello shots are layered and topped with yummy whipped cream and a cherry with a stem. They’re so much fun for Summer gatherings around Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

I have a few tips and tricks up my sleeve for making these layered jello shots. For starters, there are a few things you’ll need, and some things that are handy to have for making jello shots. For starters, while I love these shooter glasses I used for these, you can also purchase disposable 2 oz. shot cups, which are perfect for creating Jello shots for a large group. I also find it helpful to place my shots into a muffin tin before they go into the refrigerator for easy in and out, especially when doing these fancier layered shots.

To make these Jello shots, you’ll also need-

• 3 oz. strawberry jello mix
• 3 oz. berry blue jello mix
• 2 packets of knox unflavored gelatin
• 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
• 4 cups boiling water, divided
• 2 cups vodka, divided
• Whipped cream and maraschino cherries for topping.

Layering Jello Shots

The process of making layered jello shots is pretty easy, you just need to make one layer at a time, and let that layer get firm in the refrigerator before you add the next layer. It’s also helpful to let your new jello layer mix cool completely before you add it on top of the previous layer. If you don’t, sometimes the colors from the previous layer will mix and you won’t get that defined layer.

How to make Firecracker Jello Shots

To make these, you’ll start by putting one shooter glass, or plastic shot cup into each section of a muffin tin. This helps carrying all the shots back and forth to the refrigerator between layers. You can easily make 24+ Jello shots with this recipe, if you need less than that, just toss any extra Jello mixture.

I started with the red layer. You can start with blue first, whichever color you want. The red layer is made from Strawberry Jello and the blue is the Berry Blue Jello. To make the white middle layer, we used sweetened condensed milk and unflavored gelatin.

To add the alcohol, when making the red and blue Jello layers, we simply substitute the cup of cold water on the directions for a cup of vodka. Plain vodka will do, you can use flavored if you’d like but I find that the Jello gives us plenty of fruity flavor.

You’ll want each layer to fill your cup about 1/3 of the way, since we have 3 layers for this recipe.

Here are the step by step directions.

• Place your plastic cups or your shot glasses into a muffin tin.
• In a medium bowl, mix strawberry Jello with 1 cup of boiling water.
• Once Jello dissolves, add 1 cup vodka, and stir.
• Allow the first layer to cool for about 20 minutes, then pour into your Jello shot cups, filling them ⅓ of the way full. 
• Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours to set. The box recommends 4, but I find they’re ready for the next layer after 2.
• For the next layer, in a medium bowl add 2 packets of unflavored knox gelatin.
• Stir in 2 cups of boiling water.
• Once gelatin is dissolved, add sweetened condensed milk and mix well.
• Allow to cool for 25-30 minutes.
• Add the white Jello mixture to the cups, filling another ⅓ of the way.
• Place them back in the refrigerator for another 2 hours to set. 
• In a medium bowl, add berry blue Jello mix.
• Stir in 1 cup boiling water.
• Once dissolved, stir in 1 cup of vodka.
• Allow to cool for 25-30 minutes.
• Add the final blue layer, filling close to the top of the cups.
• Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours to set.

To finish, right before serving you can top your Jello shots with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry to make your Jello shots firecracker-esque. If not serving right away, these 2 oz. cups include lids. You can put a lid on top and keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

For a printable version of this recipe, see below.

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You might also like these other fun festive recipes-

Blueberry Vodka Lemonade Shooters

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