Jasmine Tea Jelly 茉莉花茶果凍

One of my favorite childhood summer dessert or after school treat was jelly, or gelatin.  Back in those days, the jelly that I savored were mostly pre-packaged ones that you simply throw in the fridge to chill, peel the seal on top and enjoy.  On special occasions, my Mom would prepared jelly from “scratch” (from those flavored gelatin powder, of course) and add mixed fruit into each cup before chilling.  I still love those treats every once in a while because they really bring back many childhood memories.  Check out this post that I shared a while ago and you’ll see what I’m talking about.  Shhh….don’t laugh! And yes, that was me and my brother when we were young!  I think that was my 2nd birthday celebration.  You think I have that kind of super memories?  Yes, eat gelatin and get super memory!  Nah….the candles on that cake gave it away.



As time goes by, I guess my taste buds are a bit more sophisticated.  What a fancy word to use.  Really, I long for old time desserts that suit my matured taste buds.   Okay, that sounds more like it.  So, here I created this Jasmine Tea Jelly 茉莉花茶果凍 that fits the bill!  This Jasmine Tea Jelly is a combination of my favorite jasmine tea and my favorite summer treat, jelly.  It might be way too hot to enjoy a cup of hot tea in the summer.  But bouncy, slightly sweet and super cool gelatin is always welcomed.



These Jasmine Tea Jelly are infused with both jasmine tea and the jasmine tea buds.  Here’s a closer look at the jasmine buds.  After they are steeped, they soften and expended into some elegant flower buds so I added a few into each jelly cup before chilling.



Here’s how the package looks like.  I got them from a local Asian supermarket.  Or you can find similar product from here.



I made some of the jelly into bite size pieces because I just couldn't resist!  They are like jewels and looking so pretty.  Click here to see the silicone mold that I used. After they are fully chilled, they just popped right out of the mold when I flip the mold up side down with a gentle push on the bottom of each sphere.  Serve them in a soup spoon and they will be the perfect summer party dessert.



Of course, I love them with a “full” serving most of the time (see picture below).  Yeah, that’s more like it.  And I got the gorgeous tea cups from here.



Just one bite, it’ll cool you down from the inside out.  I love my dessert not too sweet.  So, you can simply adjust the amount of agave used in the recipe to suit your own taste.



I hope you’ll give these Jasmine Tea Jelly a try.  I know you’re going to love them as much as I did.








Jasmine Tea Jelly 茉莉花茶果凍: (Printable Recipe)
Makes: 4 Servings

2 packages (14 grams) of unflavored gelatin powder
3 cups water, divided
2 jasmine tea bags
1 tablespoon jasmine buds
4 to 6 tablespoons agave (more or less to taste)

In a small bowl, mix gelatin and 1/2 cup of water and let it proof for 5 minutes.

In a small pot, bring the remaining 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil.  Remove from heat, add the tea bags and jasmine buds, cover and let mixture steep for 10 to 15 minutes.

Reheat tea mixture, add the gelatin mixture and stir until all gelatin dissolved.  Add agave and stir well.  Taste if it’s sweet enough for you.  Remember, the jelly will tastes less sweet after it’s chilled.  I personally don’t like it too sweet.  So please adjust the amount of agave according to your own preference.

Strain mixture into a measuring cup with beaker.  Evenly divided the mixture into 4 (8 ounces) cups, add a few cooked jasmine buds in each cup and chill for at least 2 hours or until set; enjoy.