Grandma Anne’s Secret Jell-O
I love making food that people appreciate — the kind of meal that makes the whole table go quiet at the first bite. But you know what I kind of love more? Making food that makes the whole table shriek like kids chasing the ice-cream truck.
So, when I happened upon a “secret Jell-O” recipe in chef Hillary Sterling’s new cookbook, Ammazza! — titled for the Roman slang term, which roughly translates to “wowee!” — I knew I had to share.
“This was the defining treat of my childhood,” explains Hillary. Growing up, her Grandma Anne always kept a bowl of Jell-O in the fridge. “She added halved grapes, and they’d hover in the middle while it ‘jellified.’ It tasted so cool, refreshing, and delicious.” As adults, Hillary and her sister tried to replicate it, but never managed to get the taste just right. That’s when their grandpa clued them in to Grandma Anne’s secret ingredient: sweet liqueur. “Turns out, our favorite childhood dessert was one part Grandma, one part frat party.”
Hillary’s own adaptation is a little more cocktail-party than frat, but just as festive: a ruby-red confection, studded with plums and served in a champagne coupe. Plus, it’s incredibly simple, with less than 10 minutes of active cooking time. And while I’ll give Grandma Anne the benefit of the doubt, and say she probably wasn’t trying to inebriate her grandchildren, this recipe has almost a shot’s worth of brandy per serving (wowee, indeed!). So, let’s maybe keep it at the grown-ups table.
Grandma Anne’s Secret Jell-O
from Ammazza! by Hillary Sterling
Serves 4
1/2 cup (115 g) prunes*
3/4 cup (180 ml) brandy
1 85-gram package cherry gelatin
*It’s true, prunes are dried plums. Here, they’re essentially rehydrated in the cooking process.
In a small pot, combine the prunes and 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the brandy. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat low, and cook until the prunes absorb all the liquid (about 5 minutes). Set aside. In a separate small saucepan, bring 1 cup (240 ml) of water to a boil. Place the gelatin in a heatproof bowl, then pour the hot water over it, whisking until fully dissolved (about 2 minutes). Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup (60 ml) of brandy and 1 cup (240 ml) of cold water.
Divide half of the gelatin mixture evenly among four glasses, filling them about halfway. (“This is the time to break out your heirloom wine glasses or champagne coupes,” says Hillary. “Style and presentation meant everything to my grandmother.”) Arrange the glasses on a small sheet pan for stability. Refrigerate, uncovered, until just set (about 1 hour).
Finally, divide the steeped prunes evenly among the glasses, gently placing them on top of the set layer. Top each glass with the remaining gelatin — the fruit will “float” as it sets. Cover and refrigerate until firm but still jiggly (about 1 hour more). Serve, and enjoy!
Thank you so much, Hillary! And congratulations on your beautiful cookbook.
P.S. More fun party recipes, including a chaotic pavlova and a pasta cake.
(Photos by Kelly Puleio. Excerpted with permission from Ammazza!, on sale now from Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Copyright © 2026 by Hillary Sterling)
Comments
56 commentsHow does the set aside half not gel before you add it as the top layer? 🤔
Now im wondering too…
It won’t set at room temperature. You leave it on the counter while the first half sets in the fridge!
I didn’t eat much jello growing up but my wonderful late uncle would call me ANJELLLOOOOO so I always think of my childhood nickname!
I haven’t had any Jello in years. I had a friend who used to make Claret Jelly (as they call it in England) that would make anyone loopy, but used gelatin to make it. As a kid I had a lot of food aversions. My biggest was Jello with anything at all in it. My darling mother, who never forced us to eat anything we genuinely hated, made Jello just about every summer Sunday lunch with canned fruit cocktail (sorry, yes, it was the 1960s, we didn’t know any better). But she always made me a little jelly glass full of plain Jello, which she poured out before adding the fruit. I still didn’t like it but I could swish it around in my mouth to turn it into a liquid without encountering any hard bits of pear or half grapes.
Looks beautiful! And the story behind it is even better
Just to clarify, dried prunes are prune plums that have been dried. Prune plums are a specific variety.
I love this idea, prunes and all! I’m wondering if anyone has tried a dye free cherry Jello. I don’t want to lose out on that quintessential texture or flavor! I see suggestions online for using fruit juice and gelatin but wonder if that would satisfy my nostalgia requirements.
Try this recipe with cherry flavored juice. It won’t have as strong a flavor as the box stuff but the texture is the same and it is dye free. https://www.onelovelylife.com/healthy-homemade-jello/
Thanks Jen and Julie for suggesting and providing recipe for a healthier Jello. Good to know!
My box of Knox gelatin has a recipe for fruit juice. It’s easy-peasy: 1 packet to 1 c juice.
My go-to April Fools trick is to make jello with straws in my kid’s cups for dinner (the trick is that their drink jiggles!)
Omg can’t wait till next year to try this!
Um. This is ambitious but still. You’re welcome ; ) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f5wA1sSLOI
We have a family friend who was terrified of jello. The unpredictable wobble was too much for him. If we ran into their family at the only restaurant in our one stop light town he would have to sit at the parent’s table until we were all done eating our smorgasbord jello.
I adore prunes, as I adore everything plum. I eat them every day, just ask the ether if you should, too (fiber, bone health, and they are wonderful chopped up in oatmeal cookies in lieu of raisins)! I adore vintage recipes, and vintage coupes. I adore dinner parties, and serving something delightful and unexpected at them. I adore Grandma Anne, and her cheeky, boozy legacy. This is going into my repertoire! Thank you Kelsey and Hillary ❤️🔥
St. Dalfour French prunes are downright decadent.
@ WTC, YES. Those are the only ones I get. SO delicious.
I’m definitely here for prune content and share your general enthusiasm for everything in the post.
There is an amazing, epic cake called: Ruins of a Russian Count’s Castle, made with PRUNES! Here’s the recipe and a photo: https://jaspernighthawk.com/ruins-of-a-russian-counts-castle/
My Grandmother was known for her cherry Jell-o with bananas in it. Classic, Midwestern, 80s potluck side dish!!!
Like all Jello Recipes, I will preface this with the obligatory “this sounds weird, but it’s great. I swear” Jello Cake. My dad’s mom always made it. You take a yellow sheet cake right out of the oven and pour hot jello mixture over it, then cool the whole thing and top with cool whip. Strawberry jelllo cake was my favorite as a kids, but orange and lemon would be delicious—especially topped with homemade ginger whipped cream. Also: Shout out to prunes. They do not deserve the hate. The Sunsweet Elderberry ones are delightful.
Yes! Poke cakes like this are so yummy! My grandma used to make one where she poured sweetened condensed milk in the holes, topped it with Cool-Whip and chopped up Heath bars!
Jello poke cake was my birthday cake several years in a row when I was a kid. Always with the Happy Birthday candy decorations from the cake aisle. I liked it because it was sugary delicious. Pretty sure my mom liked it because it was easy. :)
jello poke cake for the win!
Omg poke cake!! I have not had this since my grandmother passed away a few years ago, and I’m overcome. I’ve only ever had it when she made it, and I just love knowing others out there understand the simple joy of this very delicious, very Midwestern dessert. Now I’ve got to figure out how to make it <3
Looks delish! Speaking of Jello, does anyone remember Jello 1-2-3? I LOVED it, though the three layers were admittedly weird. I’ve tried to describe how satisfying it was to scrape the individual layers apart, but my kids look at me like I’m crazy.
Absolutely remember 1-2-3 jello. A classic at our table during the holidays of my childhood. My mom tried to recreate it with vanilla ice cream and frozen sliced strawberries in place of the cold water. Didn’t have the layers, but it was tasty.
Another geriatric millennial waving, yes! We loved 1 2 3 jello! My mom would make it in the fancy glasses and my sister and I felt so grown up whenever we had it! (When I was 8, I informed my family very seriously that I planned on serving it along with cheer wine at my wedding, haha.)
::raises hand:: I begged for 1-2-3 Jello until my mother finally relented (we were what the kids these days call an ingredient house and ergo grew up in the 80’s without KoolAid) and then was so disappointed by it. BUT I *loved* when classmates would bring in layered jigglers! Peeling back the layers. Holding them up to the light. Restacking them for different combos. Jiggling them, lol. So much fun!
Hah! This is so funny 😆 I wonder if you could make it with pectin or another vegetarian equivalent?
Oooh, I’m not sure about pectin, but I bet agar would work!
Our holiday tables always included a jello dish usually layered with fruit and cottage cheese. My mother went on to serve simple but colorful jello to her great grandchildren when they visited. Unfortunately one of their last visits was preceded by an epic spill which I had to clean up while she was in Hospice care. The circle of life via jello.
Growing up, I thought I was a genius when I had the idea to use Sprite as the liquid. It made the jello slightly fizzy and my tween self completely recommends it.
This takes me back to a similarly genius moment I thought I had when I discovered how delicious Sprite was when you sucked it through a straw made out of a Twizzler with the ends bitten off. Classic.
Does anyone else remember the sparkling white grape JELLO? It was so good and felt so fancy
But, but… what kind of liqueur did Grandma Anne use herself?! I need to know… 🙏🩷
My thoughts exactly! What would Grandma Anne use???
EXACTLY!
Not stoked about the idea of rehydrated prunes, but I think I’d love to try this using Luxardo cherries instead!
Yaaassss! Was thinking the same thing. Also feel somewhat better that the tailgate Jello shots I had last weekend have a *classier* cousin.
Have made cherry jello with tart cherries. Add cherries once the jello has partially jelled. Also use tart cherry juice instead of water. It has a a great Zing!
I wonder if using seltzer in place of the cold water would add a few bubbles. Very fun!
Kelsey and Hillary, this brought tears to my eyes as my grandmother also had a signature Jell-o dish. She made it with lemon yogurt and our family’s first clue to her dementia was that she didn’t make the Jell-o correctly. She passed away 8 years ago but my mom still makes it at every family event.
As a lemon lover, who always has Aldi’s lemon yogurt in the fridge, I’d love to know the recipe..
Laughing as I envision a pair of eight-year-olds ans they experience in the warm sensation that their alcohol infused Jell-O gives them. Time for a nap! Oh, the 80s.
Ammazza really means “kills” from the verb ammazzare, to kill, which kinda makes this doubly hilarious coming from Grandma. Based on the photo, I thought the floating fruit was those really dark, boozy cherries you use in whiskey drinks and now I really want to make this using those!
I was thinking cherries too……..makes more sense.
I make a fruit filled cranberry jello salad in lieu of the dreaded cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving and it’s always a huge hit!
Ooo what fruit do you use besides cranberries? My (midwestern) grandmother makes a cranberry-pineapple jello “salad” for thanksgiving and we look forward to it every year! My kids ask for it at every holiday, just like I did.
I mix cherry and orange jello then I add cranberries that have been chopped in the food processor and soaked in sugar, crushed pineapple, a can of mandarin oranges and a diced Pink Lady apple! The key is stir it periodically as it firms up so the fruit doesn’t all sink!
omg the cranberry hate! i freaking love cranberry sauce!
It never occurred to me to make Jello for my kids. So when my mom served it to them at her house, they were amaaaaaazed and totally charmed. It’s now their favorite treat, and only Grandma can make it the “right” way- sometimes with fruit, sometimes with (gasp!) Cool Whip. I’m so happy this magic dish is one they can share.
My son picked some jello snack packs out at the grocery store recently and I think it was the first time he’d encountered Jello. He loves it! He calls it “jello pudding” even though it’s the clear kind.
So dear, Erin! Jello at Grandma’s may sound banal, but I bask in those memories from my own childhood decades later. We also ate ours with Cool Whip and I still prefer the 2 together. Once, she brought me a dish while I was curled up sick on her green velvet couch (now my couch, swoon) and lovingly declared “I know my Emi loves her cool cool.” My sister and I still say it to each other if Cool Whip comes up, which it obviously and frequently does.
This reminds me of my Oma who remained resolutely German in the American south in the 80s and 90s (think: wooden dolls in wool dresses instead of Barbies, YA books about existential ennui instead of babysitters club, etc.) Whenever she came back from her yearly trips back to Germany, she’d bring us back the wool socks and eye masks from the flight and lots and lots of German chocolate, which was always liquor-filled (and immediately confiscated by my southern Baptist parents 😂)