In your search for full-on summer recipes, make sure you keep this Vegan Chocolate Cherry Dessert Shots recipe on your list. If you’re wondering why, read on.
What’s the deal with summertime and simplicity? I mean, if you weren’t already into the concept of simplicity, it seems to take over you like a fever in summer.
It starts with spring cleaning in, oh, March or April or May…or never, and leads straight into summertime simplicity syndrome, otherwise known as SSS.
The primary SSS symptom is, a feeling of dread that comes over you when you think about taking on a laborious recipe that keeps you in the kitchen for hours. Hey, I’ll be honest with you and confess that this is even true for me and I love spending time in the kitchen. I’m just saying if I feel this way, then it must be a thing.
You gotta follow the thing.
Simple recipes + Summertime = Success!
Why You’ll Love These Vegan Chocolate Cherry Jello Shots
Look, there’s chocolate and cherries. Do I really need to say more?
OK. I will, but only because I like you so much.
First, let me share a little bit of bad news. This recipe is based off of the popular jello shots that you’ve probably seen a thousand times before. The problem is, jello is not vegan. Well, to be completely honest, jello is not even vegetarian. Yes, gelatin, which can be found in lots of commercially bought products (like PopTarts, Frosted Mini Wheats, and Jello), is made from animal products.
Do you want me to go into the gross details? I didn’t think so. But if you’re interested here’s how you can learn more about Gelatin and how it’s made.
So what’s a vegan to do when she wants a good jello shot? Well, that’s where agar agar comes in.
Agar Agar comes from algae and we vegans use it to create jello-like dishes. Of course, we can’t take credit for it because folks in Asia have been creating dishes from agar agar since the 1600s. Seriously.
Do you want to hear something awesome about agar agar? Of course you do!
Agar agar is nearly 80% fiber. That means in addition to a delicious dessert recipe below, you’re actually getting some much-needed fiber in your diet. In fact, in a recent episode of the Rich Roll Podcast, Dr. Garth Davis said that we need to be eating 35 grams of fiber a day. That’s a lot of fiber!
I’m not saying this recipe is the way to all your fiber needs, but it can help.
I buy agar agar at our local health food stores and even at the health food section of our grocery store. But if you don’t have agar agar at a nearby store, you can also buy it online. It may seem a little pricey at first, but you only need a little bit for each recipe so you can stretch it out for awhile.
We hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you decide to try it, please share a photo using #namelymarly on Instagram or Twitter. We love seeing your photos!
Vegan Chocolate Cherry Jello Shots
Ingredients
- 8 Oreo cookies
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips dairy-free
- ¾ cup vodka
- ¼ cup cherry syrup
- 1 tablespoon agar agar
- 5 oz dairy-free vanilla-flavored yogurt
- approximately 14 fresh cherries – 9 left whole the rest pitted and chopped
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 325F. Cut parchment paper into strips and criss-cross them at the bottom of each muffin compartment. This will help easily remove the jello shots when they’re ready to eat.
- Place the Oreos in a food processor with the coconut oil. Pulse until a course meal develops. Press this evenly amongst the 9 mini muffin pan compartments.
- Place in the oven and bake for 5-7 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
- In a saucepan combine the vodka, cherry syrup, and agar agar. Give it a stir to combine and then place over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 3 minutes or so, until the agar agar is dissolved.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for a moment or two before adding the yogurt and the approximately 5 chopped cherries. Pour the cherry mixture over the Oreo crusts. Place in the fridge to set, at least 30 minutes, but up to an hour.
- Slice a sliver off the bottom of each of the remaining cherries to create a flat base and when the Vegan Cherry Jello Shots are set, place a whole cherry on top of each. Serve and get ready for the fun!
If you’re like me and have a thing for chocolate and cherries together, consider these vegan vegetarian recipes:
- You’ll love these Chocolate Cherry Crispy by White On Rice Couple
- Or how about some Chocolate Cherry Granola from the Healthy Maven
- While we’re at it, consider these Chocolate Cherry Chunk Mini Loaves from the PPK Kitchen. Love!
- Or check out my Chocolate Covered Cherries for a sweet, easy treat!
Whatever cherry treat you’re chomping on, enjoy!
SO glad you posted this. When I first became vegan I tried a jello shot recipe with agar agar and apparently I went overboard with it. It was so nasty…the texture was all wrong. I am looking forward to making a tried and true recipe. Plus chocolate and cherries are meant to be together….enough said
I know how you feel, Jennifer. Sometimes working with new ingredients can be a challenge. I think agar agar is definitely worth giving it another try. I hope you like it!
Those look terrific! Oreos and cherry, two great flavors right there!
I think you may be onto something with SSS. Sounds suspiciously like me lately. Or it might just be finals getting to me, lol 🙂
Finals can bring on a whole host of symptoms. The good news is…vegan jello shots make most things better. 🙂
Ohhh these look dandy for summer!
Perfect for summer! These jello shots are such a cool idea.
For the agar agar – flakes or powder?
Great question – I used agar agar flakes. Love that stuff!