Peanut Butter Cup Gelatin Dessert

This is not your ordinary Jello! It has the consistency of a mousse and the rich taste of a candy bar. I promise, you won’t believe that it’s made from gelatin. I got the idea from a wonderful, fun cookbook I recently purchased called “Hello, Jello!” by Victoria Belanger. It is filled with the most innovative and creative gelatin desserts you’ll ever see. Unfortunately, her original recipes are not necessarily carb –friendly, but that won’t stop me from making them over using Splenda and lower fat ingredients. My recipe was inspired by her Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, but I must give Victoria all the credit here because I never would have thought of this one on my own. I used regular custard cups as my mold, but she suggests using foil cupcake liners, which really makes it look like the real thing! This is an economical and easy, make-ahead dessert that you won’t want to miss.

Peanut Butter Cup Gelatin Dessert
Makes 6 servings

1 cup 1% low-fat milk
¼ cup fat-free half and half
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup Splenda granular
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 packet (1 tablespoon) dry, unflavored gelatin powder
¼ cup cold water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, fat-free half and half, cocoa powder and Splenda. Heat over medium heat until it comes to a boil, stirring often. When it reaches a boil, add the peanut butter and whisk until smooth.

2. Meanwhile, place the cold water in a medium mixing bowl and sprinkle the gelatin powder over it. Allow it to sit and absorb the water for 2 minutes (important). Whisk the hot chocolate mixture into the gelatin mixture, whisking until the gelatin has dissolved completely into the hot liquid (about 2 minutes). Add vanilla and whisk until incorporated.

3. If using custard cups, divide the gelatin mixture equally between six cups and place in the refrigerator until set, about 2 hours. If you wish to use the foil cupcake liners, allow the mixture to thicken slightly before spooning into the liners. Refrigerate until set.

4. The dessert may be served in the custard cups, but you may wish to unmold and serve on a plate (as pictured). To unmold, run a paring knife around the edge to loosen and turn onto a serving plate. (If needed, you may warm the bottom of the custard cup in very warm water for about 30 seconds to make it easier to unmold.) If using foil liners, dip the bottom of the liner in warm (not hot) water for about 15 seconds before peeling the liner off.

Nutritional Information per serving (not including whipped topping): 173 calories, 14.6 g carbohydrate, 12.5 g total fat, 3.6 g saturated fat, 127.5 mg sodium, 2.3 g fiber, 8.2 g protein.

Recipe make-over by Kathy Sheehan, 2012. Original recipe by Victoria Belanger. If you’d like to see more gelatin recipes by Victoria Belanger, visit her blog at http://jellomoldmistress.com

How does this recipe compare with the original? My make-over recipe is much lower in calories, carbs and fat. For comparison, one serving of the original recipe from the book is 489.4 calories, 56.5 g carbohydrate, 21.2 g total fat, 14.9 g saturated fat, 251 mg sodium, 3.3 g fiber and 17 g protein.