Cooking with Klara: Jello Eggs

Okay, so I know that I said I would stop obsessing over the eggs…but c’mon, it’s Easter! Plus, I already had plans with one Miss Klara Lou to dye Easter Eggs. And since I don’t quite count boiling eggs as making a fun, delicious recipe (love dying them, hate eating them), we decided to mix things up a bit by making Jello Eggs. My mom used to make these every Easter and bring back memories of warm Easter mornings and the sweet smelling bouquet of flowers on the kitchen table. Mmmm. I’ve heard that there are jello molds to for these, but using actual egg shells is way more fun, and really doesn’t take that much more effort. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients

Jello packet

Water

Eggs (Yields about 12)

Vinegar

Directions

This first part is for the adults out there, or older kids with gentle hands. You need to start by emptying the egg. There are a few options for this. Apparently there is some sort of magical Martha Stewart tool…but that would clearly be way too easy. I blew the eggs out (poke a hole in each side with a pin and blow one side out into the sink…and be thankful you don’t have paparazzi following you around). Problem with this? You will eventually have to tape up the bottom of the egg so the jello doesn’t leak…and trust me, it will. So my suggestion? Use a pin to create a dime sized hole in the top of the egg. Then just shake it to your hearts desire until the egg is fully drained.

Once the egg is drained, you’ll need to clean it (unless you want raw egg mixed with your jello…). To do this, immerse the eggshells into a bowl of vinegar for a half hour. This should kill any egg bacteria left behind in the egg. Just be sure to rinse thoroughly afterwards.

Now starts the fun with the little ones! If you so wish, you can start by dying the egg shells. We skipped this part as we already had our hands full with hard boiled eggs to dye. Now you can just let the kids mix the jello according to its directions (aka packet + 1 C boiling water + 1 C cold water). Now you will need to tape up the bottom of the eggs if you poked a hole in the bottom. Klara and I figured out 4 pieces of tape was about right.

Next, search your kitchen up and down for a funnel. It will make this next part much easier! Let your little one hold the funnel into the top of the egg and you can pour the jello mix into the egg. Keep checking the fullness of the eggs, as it gets a bit messy when they overflow (yes…I am speaking from personal experience). If you have any jello left over after you fill the eggs, don’t let it go to waste! Pour it into an extra bowl for later :)  Now you can just put the eggs back in the fridge for a few hours to chill. Since you want these to be extra firm, keep them in there for longer than a normal bowl of jello before you crack them. See my mistake below.

But once you peel them, whether they turn out or not, enjoy these guys quickly. They will disappear before your eyes!