Although I got rid of my recipe notebook during one of my "just throw it all out" moods, I remember ripping out a few pages that I wanted to keep. One of these pages resurfaced recently when I went through a box of my old things. It's a recipe for Jell-o Nutcolate (Go ahead. See if you can figure out the ingredients from the recipe name.). I invented it in my early teen years after volunteering to make a dessert for a family picnic in the park. Here is the recipe as I wrote it all those years ago.
Jell-o Nutcolate Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 6 ounce box Jell-o (strawberry, raspberry, or cherry are best)
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips (I prefer 72% dark chocolate)
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
Mix up the Jell-o according to the directions on the package. Put it in a bowl in the fridge. Once it is gel-like (but not completely set), take the bowl out of the fridge. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips. While you are waiting for the chocolate chips to melt, chop the pecans and mix them into the Jell-o. Once the chocolate is fully melted, drizzle several spoonfuls into the bowl of Jell-o and fold it in with a spatula. Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Drizzle the rest of the chocolate over the Jell-o. It is best if there are no clumps of chocolate. Dainty drizzles will make cutting easier. Put the pan into the fridge to let it finish setting. For the more flavorful, chocolatey version, bake a brownie mix in the pan before putting the Jell-o mixture in (note that this will cause the brownie to become more moist from absorbing some of the liquid from the Jell-o).
And, as far as deciding whether it is any good, I will just say that I am currently eating my fourth piece. It's difficult to put my finger on what I like about it. The Jell-o has a subtle sweet flavor and the chocolate has a deep tone that balances it out. The pecans add a nice texture without being too crunchy. It would be so easy to polish off a whole batch if you're not paying attention. And it's so pretty. Five-star-restaurant pretty, I think (although you are not likely to see it on their dessert menu).