Whip up these Candy Corn Jell-O Shots for a fun October treat. This kid-friendly version has fruity, tropical flavor that can be altered with your favorite fruit juice and soda. See the recipe notes for the grown-up version of this dessert. The texture of this treat is comparable to the classic Jell-O shot, which is set a little firmer than a regular Jell-O recipe. The higher ratio of gelatin will also help the shots to set more quickly. Serve each of these with a small dessert spoon.
Pour 1 cup of the water into a small saucepan. Whisk in the contents of two packets of the unflavored gelatin. Cook over low heat while slowly stirring, until the gelatin is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
When the gelatin is dissolved, stir in the sweetened condensed milk. Add 2/3 cup coconut milk. Stir to combine. Divide the white opaque mixture between two glass measuring cups with pour spouts. Stir the coconut extract into one cup. Cover it and set aside; keep at room temperature. In the second cup, add the lemon extract and a few drops of yellow food color. Mix well to combine.
Set 14 tall shot glasses (2.4 oz. each) on a sturdy tray that will fit inside your refrigerator or freezer. Pour the yellow gelatin mixture 1/3 of the way up into each shot glass. Refrigerate until the gelatin is semi-set, about 20 minutes or 10 minutes in the freezer (I used the freezer method). You can tell the gelatin is correctly set and ready for the next layer if you tip a shot glass from side-to-side and the surface tension holds any unset liquid under the surface in place.
Meanwhile, make the orange Jello layer. Pour the remaining 1 cup of water into a saucepan and whisk in 1 packet of gelatin. Cook while stirring until the gelatin melts, about 5 minutes. Stir in the orange Jell-O and stir until dissolved. Add 1/3 cup orange juice and stir. Let cool 5 minutes. Evenly distribute the orange gelatin over the yellow layer, approximately 1/3 of the way up each shot glass. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes or 10 minutes in the freezer.
Stir the reserved white coconut gelatin. If the mixture has partially set, microwave it for 30 seconds and stir until gelatin is melted. (I didn’t have this problem at 70 degree room temperature). When the orange layer is set, top each shot glass off with the white gelatin. Refrigerate until the entire dessert is set, about 1-2 hours (more or less depending on your fridge temp).
To make the whipped topping, beat the heavy cream in a medium bowl while gradually adding 2 tablespoons sugar. Beat until billowy and stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag with a closed star tip, and pipe a swirl of whipped cream on top of each shot glass. Garnish each with a candy corn piece.
Notes
Spike them! For a grown-up candy corn Jell-O shot add your favorite spirit. For the white and yellow layers, omit the coconut milk and replace it with an equal amount of whipped cream vodka or plain vodka. Limit these additions to liquors that are clear or milky white, such as Godiva white chocolate liqueur or Bailey's. For the orange layer, replace the orange juice with Cointreau or Triple Sec. Variations. The flavors of the opaque gelatin layers can be changed up by swapping in cream soda or almond milk for the coconut milk. Add clear vanilla extract to the mixture instead of the coconut and lemon extracts. You can change the flavor of the orange layer by adding pineapple juice instead of orange juice. Make-ahead! The layered shots can be made a couple of days ahead of serving, but wait to garnish them with the whipped cream and candy until party time. After the layered shots are assembled, place a small piece of plastic wrap over each glass so the gelatin's surface doesn't dry out.