Edible Aquarium

This is pure kitchen fun for kids: blue Jello in clear cups with gummy fish floating midway through, looking like a tiny fishbowl on a spoon. It’s also one of those first recipes a kid can actually help make end to end.

The trick to the floating-fish effect is a two-stage chill. You stir ice into the hot gelatin to speed-cool it, then pour it into cups while it’s still slightly thick but pourable. Drop the gummies in at that point and they’ll suspend instead of sinking to the bottom or floating to the top.

Berry blue is the classic flavor here because it reads “ocean," but any light-blue gelatin works. Pick clear dessert cups or small glasses so the gummy fish are visible through the sides.

Kitchen Tips

• Pull any unmelted ice before pouring, or the cups end up with watery patches.
• If the gelatin is still too thin to suspend fish after adding ice, pop it in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes until syrupy.
• Drop gummies in one at a time and poke them around with a skewer if they drift to one side.
• Make them the morning of a party so they’re fully set by serving time.

Variations

• Layer two colors of gelatin (blue on top, green on the bottom for “seaweed") for a more dramatic aquarium look.
• Crush graham crackers or vanilla wafers on the bottom for an edible “sand” layer.
• Use gummy sharks, octopuses, or worms along with the fish for an under-the-sea variety pack.