Layered Holiday No-Bake Jell-O Bars

Red, White, & Blue No-Bake Jell-O Bars for the Fourth of July

I love holiday themed food because it is special and so much fun! I’m excited about this Layered Holiday No-Bake Jell-O Bars recipe because it’s festive for the Fourth of July and so yummy! My kids flipped with excitement when they ate these bars. They loved the taste plus they loved the individually colored red and blue layers. These bars are sure to be a favorite in your home, plus kids can help make it because the recipe is super easy.

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This recipe is easy to make and fun to eat. It’s perfect for your family table, a holiday party, or a potluck. Red, white, and blue food for the summer holiday of the Fourth of July is a super fun favorite for many people.

Please scroll down to easily print this recipe:)

How to Make the Fourth of July Special for Your Own Family

Do you have a family tradition for the Fourth of July? We do. My husband and I take our three boys to a local Fourth of July parade, then we throw a pool party for friends. We enjoy entertaining and swimming is a perfect activity for the Fourth because it is usually hot in Minnesota for the Fourth.

We do a potluck and grill meats for the meal. This Layered Holiday No-Bake Jell-O Bars recipe is perfect for a potluck dessert. Keep it cool and put it out right before serving because it begins to melt in the heat.

We usually purchase some small fireworks to add to our festivities. Other ideas we have done include glow sticks, glow bracelets, and glow necklaces. Anything water is great too because it’s hot, so in addition to the pool, we often set up a sprinkler for the kids. Or, the kids put the sprinkler under the trampoline for extra cool jumping! They also love to take dish soap and squirt some on the trampoline to get suds when they jump. They get clean this way too:) Just tell them to be careful not to get the soap in their eyes.

What does your family do for the Fourth of July? I would love to hear about it, drop me a comment below to let me know how you celebrate.

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The 8 Ingredients For these No-bake Jell-O Bars

No-bake bars are a perfect addition to any potluck party. This also frees up the oven for preparing other party foods.

This easy recipe for the Fourth of July is made using the following 8 common ingredients:

• 6-ounce package of red Jell-O®, I used the cherry flavor, but any red color will do
• two 6-ounce packages of blue Jell-O®, I used berry blue
• 2 sleeves of graham crackers (18 sheets of crackers), or buy graham cracker crumbs
• 2 Tbsp. caramel syrup (the kind used as ice cream topping)
•  1/2 c. melted butter
• 1/2 c. Cool Whip®
• 1/2 c.Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow creme®

After each layer is added, the dish is placed in the freezer for a period of time so the layer solidifies before the next layer is added. Be sure to have 3-4 hours to make this dessert, but there is a lot of downtime between steps.

Recipe Variations for Other Holiday No-bake Jell-O Bars 

I love that my Layered Holiday No-Bake Jell-O Bars recipe could easily be adapted to any holiday. You can do this by simply changing the colors of the Jell-O® used to match the particular holiday. For instance, you could use red and green for Christmas, yellow and green for Easter, and red and orange for fall. It’s just a simple substitution. Changing the color/flavor will also change the taste and provide variety while still using the same recipe.

Recipe Tips

I made the recipe to have three layers of Jell-O, a blue layer, a red layer, and a second blue layer. It could be layered as just two layers of Jell-O, or even four layers depending on your preference. The Jell-O layers are made using the jigglers® recipe on the box (cut it in half for one package).

The dessert is popped in the freezer so it hardens faster than it would in the fridge, which allows for a quicker addition of the next layer. It’s best to have a flat shelf to place the pan on so it hardens level.

I hope you enjoy this kid-friendly recipe! Both adults and kids will enjoy this festive no-bake dessert:)

Eat well and enjoy life!

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Copyright © 2017 Julie Hoag. All Rights Reserved.

Layered Holiday No-Bake Jell-O Bars

This recipe is easy to make and fun to eat. It's perfect for your family table, a holiday party, or a potluck. The Layered Holiday No-Bake Jell-O Bars dessert can customized by holiday or season of the year by changing the color of the Jell-O. After each layer is added, the dish is added to the freezer for a period of time so the layer solidifies quicker than it would in the fridge before the next layer is added.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 30 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 2/3 cups graham cracker crumbs 18 full sheets which is 2 regular sleeves of crackers, or buy graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 Tablespoons caramel syrup ice cream topping syrup
• 6 ounces Jell-O packet, cherry red, any flavor works
• 12 ounces Jell-O packet, berry blue 2 packets of blue, any flavor works
• 1/2 cup Cool Whip
• 1/2 cup Marshmallow creme
• 3 3/4 cups water divided

Instructions

 

• Add 18 sheets (2 sleeve packages) of graham crackers to a gallon sealable baggie. Zip bag closed tightly and crush crackers to crumbs with a kitchen mallet. Microwave 1/2 c. butter with 2 Tbsp. caramel syrup for about a minute. Stir and pour over graham cracker crumbs. Stir well to coat crumbs. Spray a 9x13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Press cracker mixture evenly across entire bottom of the pan. Place on a flat shelf in the freezer for about 40 minutes.
  
• Heat 1 1/4 cups of water to boiling, mix with 6 ounce packet of blue @Jell-O (berry blue or cotton candy) in a bowl. Stir until dissolved. Set bowl in the fridge for about 5 minutes to cool prior to pouring over cracker crumbs. Refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  
• Pull pan from freezer. Heat 1 1/4 cups of water to boiling, mix with one 6 ounce packet of red Jell-O (cherry, raspberry, or strawberry) in a bowl. Stir well. Set in the fridge for about 5 minutes to cool prior to pouring it over the blue Jell-O. Set in the freezer on flat shelf for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  
• Pull pan from freezer. Heat 1 1/4 cups of water to boiling, mix with one 6 ounce packet of blue Jell-O. Stir well. Set in the fridge for about 5 minutes to cool prior to pouring over the red Jell-O layer. Set in the freezer on flat shelf for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Pull pan from freezer and score entire surface of @Jell-O lightly with a fork. This helps the topping stay on top of the @Jell-O.
  
• To make topping, mix together 1/2 c. marshmallow creme and 1/2 c. Cool Whip. Blend with a hand mixer for 20-30 seconds. Spread topping across Jell-O with a spatula.
  
• Slice into small pieces. Store in the freezer (for a short time) or refrigerator. Don't leave it freezer for too long, don't let it freeze.
  

Notes

Bars are more easily handled when stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Once out at room temperature, they will start to get floppy so keep cool as long as possible to retain shape.

On occasion when I have made this recipe, the layers have slid around when the bars were handled a lot. To prevent the Jell-O layers from separating, score each layer lightly with a fork prior to pouring the next layer on. Scoring it gives some grip so it doesn't slide as much. Also, minimize handling and shaking as much as possible. Or, wait and cut it into bars just prior to serving.

 

Happy Fourth of July!!

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