Pet & Animal: How to Make Zombie Brains Jello Shots

Jello shots are a fun and delicious treat that you can make for any occasion. Raspberry-filled zombie brain jello shots are both tasty and spooky, and they're a great way to celebrate Halloween, World Zombie Day, or a zombie walk. You only need a few simple ingredients to make your own zombie brain jello shots, but small silicone molds in the shapes of brains are essential to the operation.

EditIngredients

EditRaspberry Brain Filling

1 teaspoon (2 g) lemon zest
1 teaspoon (5 ml) lemon juice
5 cups (1.1 kg) raspberries
¾ cup (167 g) sugar
3 tablespoons (45 ml) berry liqueur
2 teaspoons (9 g) sugar
¼ cup (28 g) cornstarch
¼ cup (59 ml) water

EditZombie Brains Jello

5 ounces (148 ml) vodka
7½ teaspoons (22.5 g) unflavored gelatin
1½ cups (353 ml) boiling water
5 ounces (148 ml) hazelnut liqueur
5 ounces (148 ml) raspberry liqueur
14 ounces (414 ml) sweetened condensed milk
Red food coloring

EditSteps

EditMaking the Filling

Zest and juice the lemon. Wash the lemon under running water and scrub the rind with a vegetable brush. Use a small cheese grater or zester to remove the zest from the lemon. When you have the zest you need, cut the lemon in half. Use a citrus reamer or squeeze the lemon hard to remove the juice. Transfer the juice and zest to a small saucepan.
Combine and cook the ingredients. Add the raspberries, sugar, liqueur, and sugar to the saucepan with the lemon zest and juice. Stir to combine all the ingredients, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.^[1]
- Reserve the cornstarch and water when you cook the mixture initially. Those will get added after the mixture has been strained.
Strain the mixture. Remove the mixture from the heat after 20 minutes. Pour the raspberry filling into a fine-mesh strainer, and use a spoon to stir the mixture and push it through the strainer.^[2] This will remove seeds and clumps from the filling, making it smooth and delicious.
Add the cornstarch and reheat the filling. Return the filling to the saucepan and turn the heat to medium. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until the cornstarch is fully dissolved. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the pan with the filling and whisk to combine the mixture. Bring the filling to a boil, and let it simmer until thickened, about five minutes.^[3]
Cool the filling. When the mixture has thickened, remove the pan from the heat. Set the filling aside to cool while you make the jello.^[4] When the filling has had 30 to 60 minutes to cool, transfer it to a lidded container and chill it in the refrigerator until it’s time to fill the brains.

EditMaking the Jello

Combine the vodka and gelatin. Pour the vodka into a large mixing bowl. Open the envelopes of gelatin and sprinkle the gelatin over the vodka. Set it aside for about five minutes. This will give the gelatin time to bloom, or soften.^[5]
- For 7½ teaspoons (22.5 g) of unflavored gelatin, you'll need three envelopes of gelatin.
Add the boiling water to dissolve the gelatin. While the gelatin blooms, bring the water to a boil in a kettle, or in a saucepan on the stove. When the water is ready and the gelatin has had time to soften, add the boiling water to the bowl with the vodka and gelatin mixture. Stir the mixture with a spoon until the gelatin is dissolved.^[6]
Add the alcohol and condensed milk. When the gelatin is dissolved, pour the hazelnut liqueur, raspberry liqueur, and sweetened condensed milk into the bowl with the gelatin mixture. Stir well to completely incorporate all of the ingredients.^[7]
- To make the jello shots non-alcoholic, replace the vodka and liqueurs with water, juice, or milk.
Grease the brain molds. Spray the inside of the brain molds with a very small amount of cooking spray. You can also use your fingers or a brush to apply a very thin layer of cooking oil or vegetable shortening to each mold. Wipe out excess spray or oil with a clean cloth to avoid flavoring the jello.^[8]
- This will prevent the jello from sticking, and make it easier to remove the brains once they’ve set.
Pour the first layer of jello. Place the silicone brain molds onto a baking sheet. Pour enough jello into each brain to fill it half-way with jello. This will leave plenty of room for the raspberry filling and more jello on top later.^[9]
- Putting the molds on a baking sheet will make them easier to transport to and from the refrigerator.
Refrigerate the jello to set it. Transfer the half-filled brain molds to the refrigerator and let the jello set for about 30 minutes.^[10] You want the jello firm, but not completely set. Don’t wait any longer than an hour, or the second layer of jello may not adhere properly to the first layer.
- While you're waiting for the jello to firm up, cover the remaining jello with a sheet of plastic wrap and leave it on the counter.
Add the raspberry filling. Once the jello has had time to firm up, remove the brains and the raspberry filling from the refrigerator. Add a teaspoon (7 g) of raspberry filling to the jello in each mold. Don’t let the filling touch the sides of the mold, otherwise the two halves of the brain won’t seal together properly.^[11]
- You can add as much or as little filling as you like, as long as the filling doesn’t touch the mold.
Fill the molds and let the jello set overnight. When the filling has been added, top up each mold the rest of the way with the remaining jello. Cover the molds with a piece of plastic wrap and transfer them to the refrigerator. Let the jello set overnight, or for at least four hours.^[12]

EditServing the Zombie Brain Jello Shots

Remove the shots from the mold. When the jello has had at least several hours to set and is completely firm, remove the brains from the refrigerator. Flip the molds over onto the baking sheet.^[13] Gently peel the side of the mold away from the top of the jello to remove the brains.
Transfer the brains to a serving platter and add the blood. Move the brains from the baking sheet and arrange them on a large flat plate or serving platter. Place one to two drops of red food coloring or raspberry syrup onto each brain to make the brains look bloody.^[14]
- The red food coloring is optional, and the brains will be just as yummy if you choose not to add it.
Slice the tops off the brains before serving. Once the brains have been plated and garnished with blood, you can serve them as is. Or, for an added effect, cut the tops off of each brain to reveal the filling inside. After slicing off the top, lay each top back on the brain, but slightly to the side so you can see the filling. Now your zombie brain jello shots are ready to serve and enjoy!