Crazy Recipes Using Jelly Beans
Updated on August 10, 2016
Are your kids avid jelly bean fans, for both the bright colours and the fun, delicious flavours? Giving them packs of jelly beans is all well and good and they’ll be excited to eat them, but you can actually make eating jelly beans an even cooler experience if you’re willing to get a little creative in the kitchen! Jelly beans are surprisingly versatile baking and treat making tools.
Check out these 15 delicious (and sometimes totally funny looking) jelly bean recipes that your kids won’t be able to resist!
1. Jelly bean bark
As if delicious, sugary bark snacks aren’t already good enough in all the different flavours you can make them, but Shugary Sweets has taken all the fun flavour and colour of bark to the next level. This version is not only bright pink, but also full of colourful jelly beans!
2. Popcorn candy with jelly beans
Are you a huge fan of sweet and salty recipes? Do you especially like them when they’re a little bit unique? Then we think you’ll adore this jelly bean pop corn recipe from The Bearfoot Baker! Depending on the kind of jelly beans you decide to use, you can add a little bit of flavour to the pop corn along with the sweetness.
3. Jelly bean edged cake
Iced cakes are already delicious and sweet, but sometimes it’s nice to take things up a notch, just for a treat. Besides helping with sweetness, decorating the outer edge of the cake with jelly beans like A Subtle Revelry did here lets you match the cake to the party’s colour scheme, or even just make a straight up rainbow!
4. Jelly bean pop tarts
Do you love the idea of creating homemade versions of classic store bought treats? We sure do! That’s why we were so excited to find this awesome pop tart recipe by Serious Eats. Well, that and the fact that the jelly inside is actually made out of delicious jelly beans, of course!
5. Easter basket jelly bean cocktail
Adults can enjoy a jelly bean treat too! We loved the idea of adding a jelly bean or two intot he bottom of a bright, fruity cocktail or martini, just like The Kitchn did here! Besides tasting great, it also looks very fun.
6. Easter Peeps and jelly bean cake
Stockpiling Moms suggests using brightly coloured jelly beans as “Easter eggs” on the top of a springtime cake decorated with green icing for grass and marshmallow peep Easter bunnies all around the edge. Talking about a sweet treat!
7. Easter jelly bean nest
Do you like the idea of using jelly beans as fun little Easter eggs, but you’d like something a little less overwhelming than the crazy candy combo above? Try these slightly healthier little springtime Easter “nests” instead. Amy’s Healthy Baking shows you how they’re made.
8. Cotton candy jelly bean martini
Did you like the previous idea for a jelly bean martini so much that you’d like to try the same idea but in another flavour? Betty Crocker has you covered with this adorably bright pink cotton candy martini, topped with jelly beans for extra sweetness!
9. Jelly bean flower cupcakes
If you’re a patient person who cares about the presentation of your baked goods, just like we do, then we think you’ll dig this jelly bean flower cupcake idea. Sure, it takes a few minutes to arrange the jelly beans on each cupcake, but each person who eats one will be so impressed! Check out how these treats are made on The TomKat Studio.
10. Coconut lemon macaroon jelly bean nests
As if coconut and lemon aren’t already a magical taste combination, Two Peas and Their Pod suggests adding jelly beans on top too! This gives each “nest” (yes, we’re slightly obsessed with this concept) a little extra sweetness, but also a kick of flavour depending on the jelly beans you use.
11. jelly bean cookies
If you know that jelly beans are one of your favourite treats, then consider going beyond just popping them on the top of other things. Follow Yellow Bliss Road‘s lead and just baked them right into the middle of a delicious cookie!
12. Jelly bean sugar cookies
Perhaps you’d rather let your jelly beans serve partially as cookie decor too, rather than just melting them right into the centre? We love the way they look nestled into the cookie dough on the surface of these little sugar cookies. Peanut Butter and Peppers shows you how they’re done.
13. Jelly bean filled pinata cake
As you can see by the picture, you can actually fill a pinata cake (which might be the coolest dessert idea we’ve ever heard) with just about any type of candy you please. How awesome would it look, though, if you filled the whole thing with a rainbow assortment of jelly beans? Check out how this style of cake is made on A Subtle Revelry.
14. Jelly bean Rice Krispy treats
Rice Krispy squares are a classic and completely delicious treat on their own, but sometimes it’s nice to give your favourite things a bit of a twist! A Mom’s Take did just that by adding colourful jelly beans to the sticky, crunchy marshmallow mixture.
15. Jelly bean Easter animal cupcakes
Did you like the idea of putting jelly beans on cupcakes as decor, but you’d rather a more finely detailed look? Trying turning each jelly bean you place onto each cupcake into a cute little springtime animal! We love these little chicks and frogs from Handmade Charlotte. It takes patience to add a little face to every individual jelly bean, but we think the final product is worth it!
Do you know someone who is absolutely obsessed with jelly beans and is always snacking on a big bag of them whenever you get together? Share this post with them for a little bit of sweet, colourful baking inspiration!