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These jello cookies taste exactly like a chocolate covered strawberry, but in soft, blushing-pink cookie form. I baked a batch on a rainy afternoon and the kids could not stop sneaking them off the cooling rack, which is the highest compliment a cookie can earn around here.
With just a handful of ingredients and a box of strawberry jello, these cookies come together fast and turn out tender, fruity, and impossibly pretty.
Jello Cookies Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 10 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 18 cookies
- ⚡ Calories: 140kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet, tart, and fruity with melty milk chocolate (kid-friendly)
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our raspberry thumbprint cookies
Quick Answer
Cream softened butter with sugar, beat in vanilla and egg, then mix in flour, baking powder, and salt to form a dough. Knead in a packet of strawberry jello powder until the dough turns pink, fold in chocolate chips, roll into balls, coat in red sugar, flatten, and bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Jello powder does double duty. It tints the dough a gorgeous pink and adds real tart strawberry flavor in one step.
- Creaming the butter and sugar builds softness. Beating until fluffy traps air so the cookies bake up tender, not dense.
- Chilling keeps them thick. A quick rest in the fridge firms the butter so the cookies hold their shape in the oven.
- Milk chocolate chips echo the chocolate-covered-strawberry theme. They melt into sweet pockets that balance the tart jello.
- Rolling in red sugar adds sparkle and crunch. A pretty, slightly crisp coating makes them look bakery-special.
- Pulling them early keeps the centers soft. Just-set cookies stay chewy as they cool instead of drying out.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They taste like chocolate covered strawberries in a soft, chewy cookie.
- The bright pink color makes them perfect for Valentine’s Day, baby showers, or any time you want something cheerful.
- They come together in 30 minutes and pair beautifully with our easy sugar cookies on a dessert tray.
Key Ingredients
Just a few pantry staples plus a box of jello turn into these pretty pink cookies. Here is what each one does.
- Strawberry Jello Powder: The star of the show, adding tart strawberry flavor and that signature pink color.
- Unsalted Butter: Softened butter creates a tender, rich crumb and helps the dough cream up fluffy.
- Milk Chocolate Chips: Sweet melty pockets that play off the tart jello like a chocolate covered strawberry.
- All-Purpose Flour: The structure that holds everything together for a soft, sturdy cookie.
- Red Sanding Sugar: A sparkly coating that adds crunch and makes them look bakery-pretty.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These jello cookies are easy to dress up or swap around.
- Use a different jello flavor like raspberry, cherry, lime, or orange for a whole rainbow of cookies.
- Swap milk chocolate chips for white chocolate or dark chocolate chips.
- Drizzle cooled cookies with melted chocolate for an extra chocolate-covered look.
- Add a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract for a bakery-style flavor boost.
- Roll in white sparkling sugar instead of red for a softer, frosty look.
How to Make Jello Cookies
- Soften the butter, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together, and preheat the oven to 350F.
- Cream the butter until fluffy, then beat in the sugar until light, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in the vanilla and half of a beaten egg.
- Add the flour mixture a little at a time until a dough forms.
- Knead in the strawberry jello powder until the dough is evenly pink, then knead in the chocolate chips.
- Chill the dough 10 minutes, then roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and coat in a mix of red sugar and jello.
- Flatten the balls to 1/2 inch thick and bake 8 to 10 minutes until just set.
- Cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use room-temperature butter, not melted. Softened butter creams up fluffy for the best texture.
- Measure the half egg by whisking a whole egg first, then using half. It keeps the dough from getting too wet.
- Do not skip the chill. Cold dough holds its shape and keeps the cookies thick.
- Knead the jello in fully so the color and flavor are even throughout the dough.
- Check at 8 minutes. These should not brown; pull them while still soft for a chewy center.
- Roll generously in red sugar for the prettiest sparkle and a little crunch.
- Store airtight at room temperature so they stay soft for days.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Serve these jello cookies as the centerpiece of a pink-and-red dessert tray for Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s, or a baby shower. Their cheerful color does all the decorating for you.
They are wonderful with a cold glass of milk or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. For a bigger spread, set them next to our frosted cookie bars and a plate of chocolate covered pretzels.
They also box up beautifully as an edible gift. Stack them in a clear cellophane bag tied with ribbon for a sweet, homemade present.
Jello Cookies FAQs
Absolutely. Any flavor of jello works, so feel free to use raspberry, cherry, lime, orange, or even berry blue. Each one gives the cookies a different color and a matching fruity flavor, which makes them fun to bake in batches for a rainbow cookie tray.
Spreading usually means the butter was too warm or the dough was not chilled. Make sure your butter is softened but not melted, and give the shaped dough a quick 10-minute rest in the fridge before baking so the cookies hold their thick, pretty shape.
Yes, in the best way. The strawberry jello powder gives the cookies a tart, fruity strawberry flavor without making them taste artificial. Combined with the milk chocolate chips, they really do taste like a soft chocolate covered strawberry.
You can. Mix the dough, wrap it tightly, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes until it is workable, then shape, coat, and bake. You can also freeze the rolled dough balls and bake them straight from frozen, adding a minute or two.
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To keep them soft, you can tuck a slice of bread into the container. They also freeze well for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature before serving.
Definitely. Leave the chocolate chips out for a pure strawberry cookie, or swap in white chocolate chips, sprinkles, or chopped freeze-dried strawberries. The base dough is delicious on its own and takes well to any mix-in you love.
If you make these pink strawberry jello cookies, I would love to hear how they turned out. They are as fun to bake as they are to eat.
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Jello Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened (1 1/2 sticks)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 egg lightly beaten, use half
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons strawberry jello powder plus extra for rolling
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 6 ounces milk chocolate chips about 1/2 bag
- red sanding sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Let the butter soften at room temperature. Crack the egg into a bowl and whisk, then measure out half. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with a hand mixer until fluffy. Add the granulated sugar and beat until fully incorporated and lighter in color, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in the vanilla and the half egg until combined.
- Add the flour mixture about 1/4 at a time, beating until it forms a dough.
- Add the strawberry jello powder and knead it in the bowl until the dough is evenly pink.
- Knead the milk chocolate chips into the dough by hand.
- Place the dough in the fridge for about 10 minutes so it firms up before baking.
- On a plate, mix a couple teaspoons of red sanding sugar with the same amount of dried jello. Pinch off dough and roll into 1 1/2 inch balls, then roll each in the sugar mixture and place on a greased baking sheet.
- Flatten each ball with the flat bottom of a bowl to about 1/2 inch thick. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, checking at 8, until just set.
- Let the cookies sit on the sheet for 2 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Let the butter soften fully at room temperature for the fluffiest, easiest-to-mix dough.
- This is a half batch that makes about 18 cookies; double everything for a full batch.
- Chill the dough for 10 minutes before baking so the cookies hold their shape.
- Roll the dough balls in a mix of red sanding sugar and a little extra jello powder for sparkle and extra strawberry flavor.
- Pull them at 8 to 10 minutes; they should look just set, not browned, for a soft center.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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I bet they taste as good as they look too! Thanks for sharing your recipe at the The Shady Porch! Hope to see ya again Wednesday…the Rock ‘N Share is a NO RULEs party now! Blessings, D@TheShadyPorch
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I’ll be there, thanks!
I bet they taste as good as they look too! Thanks for sharing your recipe at the The Shady Porch! Hope to see ya again Wednesday…the Rock ‘N Share is a NO RULEs party now! Blessings, D@TheShadyPorch
Thanks so much!
Thanks for linking up to my party! I wanted to let you know I picked your link to feature this week! See my post and grab my feature button here http://handmadecuddles.com/2013/06/create-inspire-70-picks.html
Thanks for hosting!