Candy Corn Jello Cups
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These Candy Corn Jello Cups are a fun Halloween dessert and so easy to make! Using the color of candy corn as inspiration, jello is layered into shot glasses and topped off with whipped cream and a piece of candy. Make a tray full of these candy corn desserts for your Halloween party!
I’ve got 50+ freakishly good Halloween Recipes for you to try out – right-click and open these other recipes in a new tab so that you can read them after this one!
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Candy Corn Jello Cups
Candy corn is one of those candies that divides people – you either love it or hate it. I personally love it. I just wish I could buy it easily in the UK!
Jell-O is an American brand of what we in the UK call jelly. So you can make this Halloween dessert in the UK pretty easily. Just skip off the candy corn if you can’t buy them [online], or pop in another orange sweet as decoration.
I’ve called them jello cups rather than jello shots (even though they are made in shot glasses) because they are suitable for kids – ie., there is no alcohol in them. However, you can turn them into an adult jelly shot if you want to buy adding a drop of booze to the gelatin mixture when making it. I’ll include details for that in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Oh, and you can make this with sugar-free jelly if you need to, making it a great dessert for diabetics or those who are following a low carb way of life.
Ingredients used in this recipe
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, but here is a brief outline so you know what to expect from the recipe. I highly recommend always reading a recipe all the way through before starting.
For my UK readers: When I go on vacation to the USA, I like to stock up on my favourite American food products and ingredients, so you’ll find them used in some of the recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog. However, we can buy a lot of American ingredients online these days, and in supermarkets (check the World Foods aisle!) which is awesome! (Although sometimes the price can be on the high side…) When I use American ingredients in recipes that I share on my blog, I always aim to suggest British alternatives or include Amazon affiliate links to where you can buy them online.
- Lemon Jell-O / jelly
- Orange Jell-O / jelly
- Candy Corn
- Whipped cream – either freshly whipped or from a can. If you’re in the US you could use Cool Whip. In the UK you could use Dream Topping (my absolute fave!)
Equipment used in this recipe
You are likely to have many of these cooking tools in your kitchen already, but I’ve added some Amazon links for your convenience should you need to purchase anything for this recipe.
- Small (1oz) shot glass cups
- Measuring Cup/Jug – large enough to mix the gelatin with 2 cups of liquid
- Spoon or Whisk – to stir the jello with
- Tray – to place shot glasses on for easy transfer to/from the fridge.
Candy Corn Jell-O Cup Recipe Tips
The jello cups video is over on my YouTube channel that you can watch and save to your Playlists for future reference. (Don’t forget to subscribe while you are there!)
- If for whatever reason you can’t get shot glasses you could make [larger] desserts in small glasses, or even clear bowls. In fact, you could also make one giant jelly if you wanted to and top with swirls of whipped cream, or add a flat cream layer and add some sprinkles (like a trifle!).
- Make the jello according to the package instructions – it is generally one part boiling water, and one part cold water.
- Place the cups onto a tray before pouring the jello into them. This makes it easier to place them all into the refrigerator; and of course, take them out again.
- Make sure that the yellow layer is fully set before adding the orange layer. This could be as quick as 2 hours but allow for more (especially if making these for a party). You don’t want the colors to mix together!
- Using plastic shot glasses makes it easier to wiggle the jello out and eat it straight from the cup. However, you could always buy some tiny spoons to eat them with.
- If you are going to make these as alcoholic shots, make sure they are kept well away from children.
Making Alcoholic Jello Shots
- To turn these candy corn jello cups into boozy shots for an adult Halloween party, then all you have to do is replace some of the cold water with your liquor of choice.
- Make the jelly with 1 part boiling water, and then ½ part cold water followed by ½ part alcohol. (I’ve listed parts, as the volume may vary between brands).
- Don’t add alcohol to boiling hot water as it may burn off – and you don’t want that!
- Vodka is probably the most popular alcohol in jelly shots, but you could use pretty much any booze you wanted.
- Boozy jello shots can go down pretty quickly and easily, so be mindful of the strength of the liquor you use!
Make It A Meal!
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses? Here are some recipes to take a look at to make a complete meal!
- Appetizer: Grandma’s Pumpkin Soup
- Main Dish: Toxic Mac ‘n’ Cheese Recipe for Halloween!
- Beverage: Apple Cider Dark and Stormy Cocktail
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy! Please feel free to check them out too.
More Halloween Dessert Recipes
Want more Halloween dessert recipes? Here are a few to read next:
- Halloween Rice Krispies Treats – Monster Crunch Bars!
- Jack Skellington Mickey Mouse Rice Krispies Treats for Halloween
- Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats
More Halloween Recipes
Once you’ve made this Halloween recipe I know you’ll be looking for more – here are some for you to take a look at:
Candy Corn Jello Cups Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 3 oz box lemon Jell-O
- 1 3 oz box orange Jell-O
- Whipped Cream
- Candy Corn
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Instructions
- Make the yellow jello according to the package instructions – usually, 1 part boiling water to dissolve the jello and 1 part cold water to bring the temperature down so that it can set more quickly in the fridge.
- Pour jello mixture into small (1 oz) shot glasses about one-third of the way up. Place in the fridge to set for a couple of hours.
- When the yellow layer is set, prepare the orange jello as above.
- Pour the orange liquid on top of the set yellow layer, leaving space for whipped cream. Place the shot glasses back in the fridge to set until firm.
- When the orange layer has set and you are ready to serve, add a swirl of whipped cream on top and place a piece of candy corn into the cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
This post is part of my long-running Crafty October series on The Purple Pumpkin Blog. Since 2012, I’ve shared Halloween recipes, printables, and crafts every October. While I don’t officially run the series anymore, all my new Halloween posts are still part of this decades-long celebration of spooky fun! Browse past Crafty October years for even more inspiration: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012.
Karen Kinsey
October 31, 2024 @ 3:28 am
I loved these but I used sugar free for both lemon and orange jello also used sugar free whip. Everyone loved them too.
Michelle Ordever
October 31, 2024 @ 9:13 am
A great idea for those that need a lower/no sugar option!