Cranberry Gelatin Mold | Retro Recipe
Pay wobbly tribute to a retro dessert favorite this holiday season with this festive cranberry gelatin mold recipe.
By Aimee Tucker|Nov 21 2018|
Cranberry Gelatin Mold - a retro recipe worth remembering.
Photo Credit: Aimee SeaveyPerhaps even more than how to properly cook the bird of choice and what constitutes the perfect mashed potatoes (lumps or whipped? skins or smooth? all-butter or garlic-infused?), it’s the holiday dessert table that must not, under any circumstances, be tampered with. The featured dishes need not be gourmet or even homemade to make the cut (in fact, it’s been my experience that most desserts have more to do with tradition than taste), but this can lead to some interesting selections. As a prime example, in many families across America (and maybe even yours), no holiday is complete without a wobbly, sparkling red or green cranberry gelatin mold.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Gelatin, which is made from the collagen in animal bones, has been around as a firming ingredient for centuries and used to be considered a sign of wealth since it was painstakingly difficult and time consuming to render, clarify, and turn into a beautiful molded dessert. Then, during the 1890’s, a New York cough syrup manufacturer decided to pair gelatin with a variety of fruit syrups, and named the resulting inexpensive sugary powder “Jell-O.” By 1902 recipe booklets made their way across the country touting Jell-O as “America’s most favorite dessert.”
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While many classic gelatin mold recipes (especially the savory ones) horrify modern cooks with ingredients like cottage cheese, canned peas, and the often unfortunate pairing of lemon gelatin with canned tomato soup, many of the sweeter varieties really aren’t so bad. Yes, pairing an artificial fruit-flavored gelatin with syrupy canned fruit and chopped walnuts or mini-marshmallows sounds like the start to a sugar-fueled stomachache, but an ache has to be better than a halting lurch (I’m looking at you, creamy molded seafood salad!).
Wanting to see what the cranberry gelatin mold fuss was all about and with Thanksgiving on my mind, I dug up a recipe for a two-layer cranberry variety and got to work. After dissolving two boxes of cherry gelatin in boiling water, I added a can of whole-berry cranberry sauce and two small cans of crushed pineapple, then a half cup of chopped walnuts. The resulting candy-colored concoction went into the fridge in a 12-cup Bundt pan for several hours to chill.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
The second layer was supposed to be a creamy one — made with more cherry gelatin, cranberry juice, and sour cream. It was a delicate pink color, and after chilling overnight, things were looking good.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
But soon they weren’t.
Having a tough time getting the mold to release from the pan after several hours filled upside down over a plate, I used a butter knife to gently loosen the sides. When that didn’t work, I hunted online for advice on how to un-mold Jell-O and read that it helps to partially immerse the mold in a bowl of warm water for 60 seconds. I kept it to 15 seconds, but either the water was too warm or the metal pan absorbed the heat too quickly because when I next tried to invert the mold it splashed and splattered out in a terrific pink explosion.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Turns out the heat melted the gelatin, giving it the messy upper hand.
The next time I tried (no way was a cranberry gelatin mold beating me!) I stuck to just one layer — the first one — and bid the sour cream adieu.
Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Say what you will about the retro gelatin mold (and you will — one of my co-workers revealed to me that it’s a rule in her family that if you want to marry in you’ve got to eat a slice of the mysterious lime-green holiday mold), but don’t say it’s not capable of turning heads. I’m also willing to bet that if your mother, aunt, or grandmother stopped making your family’s mold, you’d soon miss seeing it quiver and shine in the candlelight — even if you’d rather eat lumpy mashed potatoes than take a bite.
Is there a gelatin mold in your family? Tell us about it in the comments section below!
Happy holidays and happy eating!
This post was first published in 2013 and has been updated.
GET THE RECIPE:
Cranberry Gelatin Mold Recipe
SEE MORE:
1950s Dips for Chips
Shredded Wheat Bread
Lime-Pineapple Cheese Mold
What a fun post to read. Not sure how fun the test cook process was however. The end result is beautiful!
Thanks, Maureen! I had fun with this one. Just might have to tackle one of the savory ones next. 🙂
DEAR AIMEE
I WILL BE TRYING YOUR MOLD THIS YEAR. I HAVE A RECIPE CALLED “PORTOFINO MOLD.”
IT’S LOADED WITH SOUR CREAM, PORT WINE AND IT’S QUITE A CHORE. YOU ASKED IF GELATIN MOLDS WERE IN MY FAMILY. I STILL HAVE MY MOMS, THEY ARE COPPER; ONE IS A HEART, THE OTHER A ROUND MOLD. MOTHER ALWAYS MADE US A RED VALENTINE MOLD AND FOR MY FATHER, HE LIKED ORANGE JELLO WITH PINEAPPLE IN IT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ARTICLE. IT BROUGHT BACK MANY MEMORIES. I WILL SURPRISE HER WITH YOUR RECIPE THIS YEAR.
CATHERINE
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
There is a mold that my Mother made and now I make and it’s very similar but instead of pineapple, you add 1/2 cup of finely chopped celery and 2 peeled, finely chopped apples to the black cherry jello, whole berry cranberry sauce and walnuts. It sounds weird but it’s really good!
You know it’s all in the presentation. If a single serving were presented in a crème brulee dish with the sour cream in little puffs around the dish…well you get the picture. I think the funny part of these was the size of them…hence the quivering. But when you think of it, the ingredients for the most part were not weird. And Jello will outlive us all.
I you prepare the mold with oil or mayonaise your jello should just slide out.
I started making a cranberry-ish jello mold involving canned fruit (I know, hopelessly “Leave it to Beaver”) when it became clear that our very small children were not so crazy about earth-tone Thanksgiving vegetables. There had to be SOMETHING on the plate which looked lively and appealing! I’m still making it–the offspring are in their 40s now, but of course there are now grandchildren….
I have several different molds like a Christmas tree shape, And I also use odd shaped muffin tins. It allows me to segment the jello on to individual plates. If I use bunds pan it becomes too large to handle.
wow! i feel like im related to your co worker! The mysterious green mold, was a staple at all holiday parties in our house. you had to at least taste it! If my mom didnt make it, we were like “yay! no green mold”! but someone else ALWAYS made it. It was ALWAYS there! Over the years kids would eventually admit that it wasn’t horrible. We even tried other varieties. My aunt made a killer Cranberry one, then there was the raspberry , and the orange one. I will be making your Cranberry version, as it sounds like the one my Aunt made, but even though I have made peace with the dreaded green mold, ive never liked it enough to make it. thats okay though, because it appears regardless. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Happy thanksgiving1
Thanks so much for the interesting article. Had no idea Jello’s been around so long. Had a great laugh reading all the comments especially since I’d just been reminiscing with several gals about those ever-present globs not only at holidays but picnic, showers, etc. Keep all the memories coming.
I made a Bloody Mary Aspic (mold) for my catering business. I used the old fashioned unflavored Knox gelatin (NEVER Jello) and yes Vodka. I put homemade Basil Mayonaise in the center. People would take a small portion to see if gelled molds had improved or to humor the chef but they came back for more when they realized it was “loaded” If you try this at home at least double the gelatin. Booze is harder to gel. Make it as spicey as you like and garnish the plate with celery. Presentation is everything.
Lime Party Jello Mold
1 cup milk
16 large marshmallows
1 6 oz. pkg lime jello
2 3 oz. pkg cream cheese
1 No. 2 can crushed pineapple
1/2 pint heavy cream
2/3 cup mayonnaise
In top of double boiler put milk, lime jello and marshmallow, stir until
marshmallows are melted.
Stir into hot mixture 2 3 oz. pkges of cream cheese until completely melted.
Add undrained crushed pineapple…cool in refrigerator.
Whip heavy cream…When above mixture is cool, fold whip cream and mayonnaise into it (you don’t want above crushed pineapple/cream cheese mixture to solidify, so check it often till just cool…)
Pour into mold…cool at least 2 hours
This is a delightful, light summer desert or for a special dinner
party…pretty to look at too…nice for the holidays…
Every year I make a cranberry molded gelatin found in a Knox gelatin booklet from the 60’s. It uses fresh cranberries, unflavored gelatin, sugar (of course), mayonnaise and a choice of fresh or canned fruits; nuts may be added or not. Even my son-in-law admitted at Thanksgiving this year that he is a convert. Not too sweet, not too tart if fresh cranberries are used instead of the alternative canned whole berries.
My mom made every thanksgiving and it was my favorite. Mom has passed on but no one in family can remember recipe can you email me the exact recipe 🙂
I have made a cranberry mold with strawberry jello and cream cheese and walnuts made into little balls and placed in the jello ring with crushed pineapples. It was delicious!
Lime jello, ginger ale instead of water, fine-chopped celery, tart green apple, pecans. It’s sparkly and has a little fizz still, fresh and crunchy. Don’t bring out mayo or cool-whip; just eat it. Adorable in individual molds.
lime jello salad:
Lime jello, cottage cheese, celery, chopped walnuts, crushed pineapple, with a bit of pimento for festive color. So delicious!
Carrot jello is a must at our family’s Thanksgiving dinner and sometimes at our Christmas Eve smorgasbord. I always thought it was a Swedish tradition, coming from the 100% Swedish side of the family, but have never seen it at any other table, except my Mor Mor’s. When I mention it, I usually get a raised eyebrow and a smirk. We love it! A large package of Orange jello, one large can of crushed pineapple (well drained) and grated carrots (not shredded, should be a mushy consistency). Personally, I like a lot of carrots. You can add as much or as little as you like. Use standard jello directions and just mix in the pineapple and carrots, chill until firm/wobbly. My sister and I eat most of it. A mouthful of turkey with a bite of cranberry sauce, then a mouthful of turkey with carrot jello. Wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without it! Also a Swedish tradition, there has to be sill (pickled herring) on Christmas Eve. Even though my mom has passed and was the last one that actually ate it, it’s not a proper Christmas Eve smorgasbord without it. Most of the non Swedes that have now become family, “What’s that smell?!?!” God Jul!
My late aunt Germaine had a “famous” cranberry relish she used to make every Thanksgiving. It’s delicious! You could make it as a mold, but we prefer to break it up and serve it in a decorative bowl. It’s made with 1 lg. box black cherry jello, crushed pineapple, 1 bag of washed raw cranberries (used to be ground by hand, but you can do this in a food processor), 1 c. chopped celery, ½ c. chopped walnuts, 1 small orange (washed and ground whole with skin or thrown in the processor with the cranberries). 1 c. pineapple juice replaces the cold water when making the jello. Chill jello slightly so it’s slightly thickened before adding the celery, cranberries, orange and nuts.
This is hilarious! I’m so glad I read this because my plan was to mix the sour cream into the jello and put it in a mold. I am so glad I didn’t try this and I will either stick to a bowl or leave out the sour cream! You are awesome!
yeah I would never have tried to gelatinize sour cream. Heavy cream, greek yogurt and condensed milk are my go to’s. I had a milk fail once it was horrible
Your first- and biggest- mistake was using a bunt pan and not an actual, proper, honest to the Gods gelatin mold… There’s a reason gelatin molds are made out of different metals (or materials) entirely than cake pans, and you found it, lol. Honestly, the daring who deign to try their hands at jell-o molds should actually bother to invest in at least one, even if just for a single blog post. They’d find their adventures go a lot more smoothly when they actually have the proper tools for the job. After all, you wouldn’t try eating a steak with a spoon (unless you were a masochist). And it’s not like a small one’s expensive, or anything, either; you don’t even have to go vintage for it.