Skip the chemical stuff and make these healthy, fun all natural copycat Jello gigglers at home!
Hi from Dallas! Oops, I mean: Howdy from Dallas, y’all!
Yep, Dallas, again. I’ve been here several times this year for work, and it is starting to feel like a second home. I assume that, since I’ve picked up a bit of a twang from my binge re-watching of Friday Night Lights, I’m probably often mistaken for a local (Lies. All lies.). Actually, it feels so different from where I live: bigger and more sprawling, and the roads and highways are like a maze. Last time I was here, I almost showed up late to my own meeting because the route Google told me would take 10 minutes took nearly a half hour. Lesson learned. Unlike Chicago, it’s sunny and hot and everyone is polite and warm at all times. I am totally starting to get this southern appeal thing. But seriously, can someone please tell me why everyone drives a white pickup truck? The pickup trucks I get – that’s just a Dallas thing, I guess – but why are all the cars white? If you know, please leave the answer in the comments below. (No, seriously.)
But anyway…depending on when you’re reading this, I am either preparing for, presenting, or celebrating the (hopefully successful) conclusion of a massive project I have been plugging away at for the last nine weeks. In the world of my job, that’s a lot of time. Plus, I had another project going at the same time. Plus all of the blog stuff, plus, you know, life. Needless to say, it’s been a stressful month, and even though nothing bad has happened, even good stress takes its toll on the body. Especially the gut! I’ll bet you can figure out where this is going, if you remember the last gummy recipe I made. Gelatin is an awesome and all natural gut-health supplement, and let’s face it: eating these wiggly, jiggly little treats is a ton of fun.
This may seem like an obvious extension of the last recipe I posted for gummy treats, and to be honest, it is. Here’s what distinguishes these though: flavor (orange!), texture (denser, less airy), and ease (no blender required – literally just pour, stir and chill). If you want to cut them into shapes after they’re solidified, that makes them even more fun to eat, but you can absolutely just cut them into circles or squares to get your daily shot of gut-friendly amino acids and immune (and other) system-friendly vitamin C. Fair warning, though: square copycat Jello Jigglers aren’t half as much fun to eat! 🙂
All Natural Copycat Jello Gigglers
Skip the chemical stuff and make these healthy, fun all natural copycat Jello gigglers at home!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup good quality unflavored gelatin, I use this brand
- 3 1/2 cups water, divided
- 1 1/2 cup natural orange juice concentrate, 1 can, defrosted
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 12"x18" baking pan and set aside.
- Bloom 1/2 cup of gelatin in 2 cups boiling water by pouring the water over the gelatin powder in a large heatproof bowl. Stir briefly (this removes clumps) and let thicken.
- Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups water, the orange concentrate and the lemon juice, and stir to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and place in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours until solid.
- Use a cookie cutter to cut into shapes, or a sharp knife to cut into squares.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days.
Notes
- You can probably use other flavors of juice concentrate, but orange is a classic!
- These also freeze reasonably well if you won't eat them quickly enough.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8Amount Per Serving: Calories: 737Sodium: 84mgCarbohydrates: 166gFiber: 3gSugar: 160gProtein: 22g
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
These look amazing! I’m such a huge fan of jello and these are adorable and you’re right- they look sooooo fun to eat 🙂
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
They totally are!!
RhetoricalDoc says
White cars and pickups because white draws less heat in the hot Texas summer heat.
I live in the metroplex.
BTW, I plan to try these gigglers; my grandkids will love them.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
OH!!! That makes total sense 🙂 Can you tell I have only come down here in the fall, winter and spring so far?
I hope your grandkids enjoy these, and you do too!
Christina @ Bake with Christina says
Ooo I just LOVE these! They look super pretty, and I love the all-naturalness!! 🙂
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Thanks!!
June @ How to Philosophize with Cake says
Haven’t you heard? White automobiles are a great way to combat global warming, since they reflect so much sunlight. Must be catching on in the south!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
OOooOOOOoooOOOOh. That clears everything up! 😉
Julia says
Yaaaaay congrats on finishing up your massive project! There’s nothing better than buttoning up hard work and sending it off in order to move on to the next big thing. Hope you’re having a marvelous time in Dallas!
Deez jiggles…ugh…I need gelatin in my life!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Thank you!! OMG you have no idea. Every time I finish a project like this, I feel like I just single handedly built the pyramids or something. Man, am I glad for the weekend!!
Mary Frances says
Congrats! Finishing up big projects is such a rewarding feeling. And you totally nailed the south; sprawling and white cars. Yeah I really don’t know why white is the color of choice but my family in TX has always had a white car. Ok, so I will confess, I don’t like jello but these are tugging at my fancy! 🙂 It’s the OJ, citrus has my heart.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Thank you so much, Mary Frances! It went really well and I am happy and proud of the way it turned out.
A reader above said white cars are preferable because they attract less heat and after leaving my chocolate covered almonds in the (black) car only to return to a liquified pile of chocolate goo, I TOTALLY get it.
I used to think I wasn’t a jello fan either, but it helps a lot when it doesn’t taste like chemicals and too much sugar!
Cathleen @ A Taste Of Madness says
This is so cute! I seriously love the color! They turned out perfect!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Thanks, Cathleen!!
Monica says
Aww these jello jigglers are are so adorable and I totally want one right now, esp since it’s so HOT today!! Nice, Chicago. Anyhow, I hope all is well with you and you are balancing a healthy wholesome diet on top of all the good stress from the past month. Happy summer!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Hope these helped you to cool off!!
Taylor says
Congrats on getting your project all finished! 🙂 These jigglers look so good! My favorite candies are usually always citrus flavored so these are right up my alley – yum!!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
You’d love these then!
Wamaca says
Great recipe. About the trucks, white show dust less than any other color. My Uncle is an Almond farmer for Blue Diamond and he says that generally the younger guys go for color, but by 35 wisen up and switch to white 😆
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Oh that makes so much sense!! Thank you!! I’ve been wondering this for years.
Vivian says
I’m a little late to the party, but I just came across your recipe and I think it looks amazing, so hopefully this is a thread that still gets checked. With that said, I’ve tried a couple other recipes with jello ingredients and I am totally confused as to what you’re all using to “lightly grease” your pans with. Other recipes have said to use pam, but then my jello was left tasting…let’s just say not like jello, and had a greasy feel. Even with the tiniest amount sprayed on a napkin and rubbed around lightly. So, am I just sensitive to greasy pam, or is there another greasing I totally missed?? TIA.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Hi Vivian! It’s been a while since I made these but I like to use a very (VERY) light spray of avocado oil, which I then wipe off so that only the thinnest layer is left. You can also use extra light olive oil. Or, if you’re super sensitive to the oils, another option is to use silicone molds instead. You can get all sizes and shapes of silicone molds on Amazon!