rainbow jell-o cookies

Happy Wednesday! As you all know, I am a super-nanny extraordinaire, meaning I have to make kid-friendly snacks pretty much every single day. Yesterday, me and my kiddos not only made homemade play-doh, we also made these cookies! Who's dough definitely also looked like play-doh. Oops.

These cookies are SO fun to make with kids! They are bright and squishy and messy, and the little ones have a blast mixing in the different kinds of jell-o and food coloring. And they taste great! A little different than usual, but not bad different. I did find that every kind of jell-o, whether it was a sour flavor like lime or not, had a little bit of a sour taste. It wasn't bad by any means, but just know that is supposed to happen. For our cookies, we used strawberry, orange, lime, and berry blue. I used sugar-free strawberry and orange, and regular lime and berry blue. The verdict? No difference, except for the amount you have to add! If using sugar-free, you will add the whole packed to your dose of cookie dough just because it's so small. If using regular, you want to add about 2-3 tbsp, as the whole thing would be wayyy too much!

I can see these being awesome at color-themed parties, especially for colors like blue or purple that are tricky to find foods for! These little treats are easy and delicious, and a definite kid-pleaser. :) Make them now! And use whatever kind of jell-o you want, as long as you tell me how yours turned out. :)


Rainbow Jell-O Cookies
Adapted from I Heart Naptime
Yields: about 3 dozen cookies

3 1/2 cups white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
4 packages of jell-o mix (sugar-free or regular are both fine, as long as they are standard sized)

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add in the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, vanilla, and salt, and beat together. Add in the flour and baking power, and mix until a soft dough forms. Split the dough into four even pieces, and put each in a separate bowl. Add one flavor of jell-o to each dough section. If using sugar-free jell-o, you can add the whole packet. If using standard jell-o mix, add only 2-3 tbsp. You may add some food coloring to boost the brightness! I found that strawberry was plenty bright, but lighter colors like orange and lime needed a bit of help. Line a couple baking sheets with parchment or silicone, and place 1-inch sized balls of dough 2 inches apart. Flatten with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 10-12 minutes, but watch them carefully as you don't want them to brown! Let them cool on the baking sheet for a couple minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy! :)