Coffee Jello with Sweetened Cream

My New England 1950s mom made dessert every night when I was a young child. It was often Snow Pudding with Lemon Sauce (from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook), tapioca pudding, Junket (made from a box), or baked custard. I don't remember many pies or cakes, except for birthdays and perhaps holidays with lemon meringue, apple, mincemeat and pumpkin pies. On Christmas, we had snowballs - vanilla ice cream rolled in coconut. I think there was a hot cherry sauce.

Later on when I was a teenager she made layered Jello desserts - fancy rainbow colors in tipped wine glasses. She started making cakes of all kinds and even fancier desserts around this time as well as she became an even more accomplished gourmet cook.

One of my favorite desserts in the younger years was coffee jello. My mom saved the percolated leftover coffee in the refrigerator and added gelatin and sugar and chilled them in custard cups or glass dishes. It was so simple and was served with whipped cream - sweetened, I'm sure. We all loved it as I remember.

Lately, I've been making my own homemade coffee jello in glass OUI yogurt containers (they have covers available on Amazon.) They make a great dessert and I've used both no sugar or a packet of Truvia for 3-1/2 cups. I add about 1/2 cup of no-sugar whipped cream and a few drops of no-sugar caramel syrup or some espresso crystals. It's a yummy treat and an after-lunch pick-me-up.

Mix two packets of Knox Gelatin and 1/2 c. cold coffee. Mix until dissolved completely.  Add 3 cups of hot, hot coffee. Add sugar or substitute if desired. When cool, pour into containers of any kind, cover and chill several hours.