If Your Mom Made This Magical Jell-O, She's Probably A Boomer

If your childhood took place from the 1960s to the 1990s, you might remember a special kind of Jell-O that Mom made for dessert. It was a mysterious and short-lived member of the boxed Jell-O family that separated into three layers as it set in the fridge — a creation known as Jell-O 1-2-3. The edible magic trick was sold in the same box and packet setup that we've come to expect from Jell-O and came in flavors like strawberry, cherry, raspberry, lime, and orange. 

To make it, home chefs combined one packet of Jell-O 1-2-3 with water in a blender and whipped it up in stages. The layers formed as the Jell-O cooled in the fridge. It was discontinued in 1996, but those who remember Jell-O 1-2-3 say it was part of core childhood memories. Each layer had a different texture. A Reddit user described the middle layer as being like a "chilled mousse." Another Redditor recalled, "This was my favorite as a teen! We made it often. And [we'd] put it in the Tupperware parfait 'glasses' to be fancy."

Jell-O 1-2-3 was a showy dessert marketed to families and appeared near the end of the Jell-O craze. By the 1970s, housewives were ditching the old-school Jell-O salads nobody eats anymore. Trends moved toward lower-sugar options and French cooking techniques à la Julia Child, and Jell-O started discontinuing some of its products. You can still find them floating around reseller websites, though. One seller has an unopened package for sale on eBay with a suggested starting bid at $99.99 — that's one expensive cup of Jell-O, considering how a family-sized box of regular Jell-O costs $2 today.

Retro recipe buffs have discovered a way to make Jell-O 1-2-3 without taking a risk on a box of 60-something-year-old powder. All you'll need is a box of Jell-O, a tub of Cool Whip, water, and a few hours for the Jell-O to set.

One method starts with a regular-sized packet of any flavor Jell-O. Dissolve the Jell-O in 1½ cups of boiling water and then add ⅔ of a tub of frozen Cool Whip. Let that melt into the mixture, and when it's combined pour it into serving glasses. The layers should separate just like the old Jell-O 1-2-3, but it only creates two layers instead of three. For a third layer, top with Cool Whip. 

If you don't have frozen Cool Whip on hand, you can use ½ a tub from the fridge to create the second layer. Using this technique, create the first layer using regular Jell-O and fill each container about half full. Then, add the non-frozen Cool Whip to the remainder of the Jell-O. Combine with a hand mixer and use it to fill the rest of the containers.

You could also recreate Jell-O 1-2-3 by making a three-layer version of Rainbow Jell-O. Set aside a little more time for this method, as each layer has to set in the fridge for 30 minutes before the next is added. Fill each serving dish with ⅓ of the Jell-O and let them set in the fridge. Traditional Rainbow Jell-O recipes then use sweetened condensed milk for a creamy layer, but Greek yogurt would also work. Top it with whipped cream for the third layer.