Okay, so sometimes I go a little mad scientist in the kitchen. I get an idea in my head, and gosh darn it all, I’m going to try it and try it until it works. I was partly inspired by these adorable Gone Fishing Cupcakes on Three Kids and a Fish, and I really wanted to try something new.

I couldn’t understand why I had never seen these before, they’re Jello-filled Rice Krispie cups! Surely someone out there on the vast, vast internet has made these! Google search after google search revealed nothing.

I now understand why.

It seems obvious, in hindsight, but sometimes enthusiasm gets in the way of practicality, and it’s not until you’re staring at a muffin tin full of water-logged Rice Krispies snapping, crackling and popping in a puddle of blue water that all is illuminated. Ooooooooh… riiiiiight…

Needless to say I tried these a couple of times, there were many … flops…

*cue sad trombone noise*

…but I was able to finally make it work! Tim Gunn would be so proud.

I have two rules I must go over before we start. Should you make these:
1) Please consume these on the day you make them, and
2) Please follow the directions exactly, or you will end up with a soggy, gross mess. You do not want a soggy, gross mess.

With those caveats under our belt, we carry onward, brave reader!

Of course the first thing we need to do is make our Rice Krispie Cups. I make these like normal Rice Krispie squares, starting with melting the butter:

Toss in one whole bag of marshmallows (large or small!) and stir until they melt and all the lumps are gone, about 2-3 minutes.

Remove that pot from the heat and stir in those Rice Krispies! Keep stirring until they’re all mixed in.

Grease a muffin tin and using a large spoon, dollop enough Rice Krispie mixture in to fill the cup, loosely packed. You will probably have some left over in your pot, but that’s okay! We might need that to pack any holes that you discover while you’re making the cups.

Now comes the fun part! I suggest you wait a minute or two until the Rice Krispies are cool enough to touch and mould with your fingers, no burned hands please! Press the Rice Krispies until they make a cup.

You want to make sure that there is at least a half-inch on the bottom (nice and thick!), and you shouldn’t see the tin through any holes. If there are any, just scoop some of your extra Rice Krispies from the pot and plug them up.

It’s Jello time! You’ll want blue Jello, of course! Following the instructions on the box, you’ll want to dissolve the powder in 2 cups of boiling water, and then add an additional 2 cups of cold water before putting it in the fridge to set.

THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART! Wait 1.5 hours, or until the Jello is on the verge of setting. You want to catch it in the very last legs of its liquid stage. Do it before, and you’ll end up with soggy Rice Krispies. If you are too late, it’s not the end of the world, you’ll just have chunks of Jello instead of a smooth water effect. They’ll still be delicious and cute, but not quite what we’re going for. All fridges are a bit different, and I know it only took 1.5 hours in mine, so you might have to do a Jello test run or watch it carefully. If you pick it up with a spoon, it’ll be only slightly runny but won’t keep its shape.

Aw look at them! Like little pools of Caribbean blue water!

Now the fun part – decorate! I used Swedish fish and some gummy worms (aka sea monsters!). I had my heart set on gummy sharks (SHARK WEEK!), but wasn’t able to find any near me. You could put in little cocktail umbrellas, fruit on a plastic sword… cut off cupcake tops, stick them on top and make little islands… really you can decorate these however you want. Have fun with it!

Back in the fridge they go for another 2.5 hours, until the Jello is fully set.

Remember my rules? Now you get to eat them!

For a more adult beverage, you can replace the water with some rum, like Jello shots.

Cute for birthday parties…

Shark Week (who doesn’t have a shark week party?)…. an afternoon snack if you think you can eat the whole tin….

Just have fun with them!

Print

Tidepool Jello Cups

Blue jello in rice krispie cups with ocean critters means these treats are sure to be a hit at any party!

Course: Dessert

Author: Cristina

Ingredients

• 1 package large or small marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispies
• 2 tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 package blue Jello
• 2  cups boiling water and 2 cups cold water (OR for a more adult option, 1 cup boiling water and 1 cup rum)
• Decorations!: Gummy fish , sharks, worms, cocktail umbrellas, edible sparkles… be creative!

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a pot. Add marshmallows and stir until all the lumps are gone, 2-3 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and add Rice Krispies to the pot, stirring until completely mixed in.
3. Grease muffin tin, and dollop Rice Krispie mixture in each muffin cup with a large spoon, enough so that it loosely fills the cup. You will probably have some leftover, but that’s okay!
4. Wait until the Rice Krispies are cool enough to touch with your hands, and then mould and press with your fingers into the muffin tin to make a cup. Ensure there are no holes through which you can see the tin. If there are, take the extra mixture from the pot and fill them. Leave them to set.
5. Make Jello according to the package: mix Jello package into 2 cups boiling water and stir until dissolved. Then add 2 cups of cold water, and place in fridge.
6. THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART. Wait 1.5 hours, or until the Jello is on the verge of setting, but is still in the liquid stage (it was 1.5 hours in my fridge, but yours might be different, you might have to make test batches of Jello to see when that point is – aw shucks!). Sooner, and you’ll get a mushy mess. Later, and it will still be okay, but you won’t get the clear, watery effect in your cups.
7. Add your decorations! I used Swedish fish and gummy worms for sea monsters.
8. Put back in the fridge and wait until the Jello is completely set, about another 2.5 hours.
9. Pull out and eat the day of! Trust me, the sooner you eat these the better. Do not leave them overnight in your fridge, or they will get mushy.

Please note I’m not being sponsored by any company, I just thought these would be fun treat!

If you make these, I would LOVE to see what you come up with! Please Tweet or Instagram me @ISayNomato so I can share!

This recipe was featured on the Turn It Up Tuesday Link Party!