5 Layer Rainbow Jello (easy ice cream version) by Kathleen Quan
My sister’s been making this recipe for years now and I never really knew how time-consuming it was until I made it myself for my daughter Ellie’s 7th birthday. I called her for the recipe and she said “read and follow the instructions very carefully, they are detailed. For once she said, “haha, you’re calling me for cooking advice”. So, this is a labor of love and I would have much rather had her made this for me but I’ll have to say, it was a big hit and perfect for Ellie’s Unicorn Party! ** I forgot to lay mine on its side to really show off the rainbow colors so try to remember to do that for yours!
Ingredients/Supplies
13 x 9 in glass pan
Cooking spray
(5) Small bowls
Med mixing bowl
Large mixing spoon
Boiling water
(5) One box each of 3 oz jello in 5 colors
Rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue
If using 6oz jello boxes, use half a box for each layer
(5) Unflavored gelatin packets
(1) Containervanilla ice cream
AVOID french vanilla, or vanilla ice cream with vanilla bean
Suggest the cheap no-name regular vanilla
Detailed Instructions:
Clear out the fridge to fit the 13 x 9-inch pan, make sure the fridge is set to 38-40 F
Boil a large pot of water (at least 6-8 cups) Once it's boiling, set to simmer for the rest of the time
Lightly spray 13 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray including on bottom and sides. Wipe excess with a paper towel
Set out 5 small bowls, put one 3 oz jello in each. Add 1 packet of unflavored gelatin to each bowl and MIX dry ingredients WELL. (Alternately, you can use one bowl repeatedly, but clean thoroughly between each color)
Put the first color of jello/unflavored gelatin mix in a DRY medium mixing bowl.
Add 1 cup of hot water and dissolve completely so there are no granules of jello/gelatin
Add approx 1 cup of ice cream (I loosely fill a pint glass) and dissolve completely
Pour the mix into the 13 x 9-inch pan and carefully put it in the fridge. Eyeball that your pan is level and use chopsticks or pencils to adjust as needed
Set timer for 15min. Try to minimize opening fridge during this time.
Rinse and dry the medium mixing bowl between each color
After 15 min, start making the second layer. Do not make layers ahead of time
When the next layer is ready, check the jello in the fridge by shaking the pan gently. It should appear firm in one piece and not wobbly. If too wobbly, wait a few minutes and test again. If firm, carefully layer the next color by pouring over the backside of the large mixing spoon. If you pour directly onto the firm jello, it may poke a hole and ruin your layers.
For each layer, repeat above in a rainbow sequence - blue - green- yellow – orange – red (it doesn’t matter if you do it backward)
To serve, cut to remove edge pieces, then cut into squares. Display with layer side up. You can serve in individual cupcake liners if desired
