Decorating Jell-O for Halloween

Here are some ideas using Jell-O for Halloween.

This recipe was also found on the back of a container of Cool Whip. This pie is bit of a tableau vivante that features creepy tombstones made from cookies that are stuck vertically into the cream cheese topping.

Crust
2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup margarine, melted

Filling
1 (8 ounce) package fat-free cream cheese
1 (12 ounce) tub Cool Whip FreeĀ®, thawed
2 cups boiling water
2 small boxes orange Jell-O
1/2 cup cold water
Ice cubes

Decorations
1/4 cup chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
7 rectangular shaped sandwich cookies
7 oval shaped sandwich cookies
Decorator icing brown, green, orange, and white
Candy corn
Candy pumpkins

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan with cooking spray and flour.

To prepare crust, combine 2 cups cookie crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and margarine in a small mixing bowl. Press firmly into prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes and then chill.

To prepare filling, combine cream cheese and 1/2 cup Cool Whip in a mixing bowl. In another mixing bowl, combine boiling water into Jell-O until completely dissolved. Mix cold water and ice cubes together to make 1 1/2 cups. Stir ice water into Jell-O until thickened. Remove any remaining ice cubes. Spoon Jell-O over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm. Spread remaining Cool Whip over Jell-O layer.

Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cookie crumbs. Decorate as a “graveyard” by poking sandwich cookies on end into dessert. Decorate the cookies as tombstones with the decorator icing. Scatter candy and pumpkins around the surface.
Jack-o’-Lantern Desserts

To save time make faces for the “pumpkins” (actually orange peel shells) by drawing a scary or humorous face in magic marker on the side of the peel.

8 medium oranges
2 small boxes orange Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
1 cup milk, chilled
1 cup vanilla ice cream, softened
1 cup prepared whipped topping
14 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed finely
Cinnamon sticks, for garnish

Cut small portion from top of oranges; set aside. Hollow centers, reserving orange center for another use. Cut out pumpkin faces on oranges.

Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water. Refrigerate until thickened slightly. Blend milk and ice cream in electric blender until smooth. Gradually add Jell-O mixture and blend until smooth.

Stir whipped topping into Jell-O mixture in large bowl. Alternately layer cream mixture and half cookie crumbs into prepared orange cups, ending with cream layer. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.

Top each orange with remaining crushed cookies, pressing some crushed cookies into cut pumpkin faces design. Insert halved cinnamon stick into reserved orange top for stem.