Coffee Jello: An American Classic

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There are a lot of recipes that include coffee as an ingredient, but one of the simplest is

Vietnamese Coffee Jello

Vietnamese Coffee Jello as seen at That Winsome Girl…

also one of the most intriguing: Coffee jello. If you are not a jello fan, this one probably isn’t for you, but for the rest of us, it can be a fun treat, with lots of variations. It’s also a way to put those last few drops in the pot to use.

But coffee jello is not just an adventurous use of gelatin – it also has a place in our American history. Coffee jello was popular during the Great Depression and during World War II as a way to avoid waste.

It can be made as simply as substituting brewed coffee for water and adding it to plain gelatin. If you like it sweeter you can add some sugar. It can also get rather fancy. Here are some of the coffee jello recipe variations that you can find on the internet:

Chocolate Velvet Parfait

Vietnamese Coffee Jello

Coffee Jelly (made with coffee liquer)

Pumpkin Spice Latté Jello

You can also order it as a dessert at famed Boston dining spot, Durgin Park. Or, if you can’t make it to Beantown, you can make their version at home.

The great thing about it is that, just like with your coffee, you can customize the recipe. The Pumpkin Spice Latté recipe above is a perfect example. Imagine your favorite latté flavor iced…then imagine it in jello form. A jiggly twist on summertime refreshment.

What coffee variety would you most like to jell-ify?

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