Vintage Jell-O ribbon applesauce dessert
This recipe is a vintage dessert that my grandma Ball prepared all the time when I was a little girl. It's a yummy no-bake icebox dessert. I'm uncertain of the year that this recipe originally dates back to and I am almost certain that grandma probably got it from a Jell-O cookbook back in the day. However, I neither can nor can't confirm that.
When my grandma made this dessert, she always used raspberry and lime Jell-O, but you can use various flavors of gelatin. I actually prefer using grape or blueberry Jell-O over the traditional lime and raspberry flavors. However, today I wanted to share the original recipe that my grandmother always prepared.
Ingredients:
1 small box of raspberry Jell-O
1 small box of lime Jell-O
1 (15 ounce) can of unsweetened applesauce
20 double-sized graham crackers
2 envelopes of Dream Whip
4 tablespoons of powdered sugar, to be mixed in with the whipped topping
Instructions:
First, in separate bowls, add the raspberry and lime flavored Jell-O. (Do not add water to the Jell-O mix.) Then divide the applesauce. Add half of it in with the raspberry Jello and the other half of the applesauce to the lime Jello. Stir both flavors until they're combined well.
Place two double graham crackers on a dessert tray, touching each other, end to end. Using a spatula, spread the raspberry Jell-O mixture over the first layer of graham crackers.
Now, add another layer of graham crackers and spread the lime mixture over the top. Continue repeating these steps. The top layer ends with the last remaining graham crackers.
In a separate bowl, prepare the Dream Whip whipped topping mix as it's instructed on the Dream Whip package, but add the powdered sugar before mixing it. (I believe that grandma added the powdered sugar to give the whipped topping stability.)
Using a spatula, spread the prepared Dream Whip whipped topping over the top and sides of the ribboned Graham cracker dessert. Transfer the dish to the refrigerator and allow the dessert to sit for at least one hour before cutting it (better left in the refrigerator overnight).
The dessert softens the graham crackers (the longer it sits), making the dessert seem almost cake-like.
Note:
When layering the ribboned dessert, my grandmother always added the gelatin applesauce mixture really thin. (It's not supposed to be goopy.) She prepared this recipe usually on a dessert platter to create a small loaf shape.
To create a bigger Jello ribbon applesauce dessert, just double the recipe.
Instead of using gelatin and applesauce, this dessert can also be made with various flavored pudding mixes.
If you can't find the Dream Whip whipped topping mix, you can use homemade whipped topping, or Cool Whip. Just make sure you add four tablespoons of powdered sugar to whichever whipped topping that you use.