Strawberry Margarita Jello Shots ... in Strawberries!

While brainstorming on what kind of (alcohol-themed and edible - she's only 2 years post 21!) gift to give to Best Friend Swagger for her 23rd birthday last month, I came across these jello shots - and I was immediately sold!  (PS I am totally almost embarrassed to show her link and follow with my pictures, hers are AMAZING and mine...not so much.  But they tasted great!)

These were surprisingly easy, and I definitely plan to make them again soon - anyone have an occasion?

I made one change to the recipe at the link, due only to the fact that I had no Cointreu, and I also was in a hurry and didn't ice the tequila before adding it to jello on the stove - turned out fine, so I'll be posting the version I made below!

Strawberry Margarita Jello Shots

Yields 25-30 strawberry shooters

1 box Strawberry Jello - not generic brand

5 ounces tequila

First, start by cutting off the "pointy" ends of your strawberries, so that they will stand upright on their own.  Works best to use the biggest and freshest strawberries you can find!  Be careful to cut the minimum amount possible to ensure there is no hole in the bottom of the strawberry - we'll talk about this later.

Use a melon baller to empty out the strawberry.  Don't get too close to the sides, because if you make a hole in the side of the strawberry you won't be able to use it for these shots - it'll just have to be a mid-prep snack for you, instead!

Again, check the strawberries for holes in the bottom or on the "walls" of the berries - any of them will holes will need to be discarded (again, please indulge - you need your sustenance!).

Now - to prepare the jello.  Boil one cup of water in a small saucepan, and add jello and whisk until completely dissolved.  Turn down heat, and let sit while preparing alcohol mixture.

Combine 1/4 cup cold water with 5 ounces (2 1/2 double shot glasses) of tequila.  Add cold mixture to hot jello mixture on stove.

After everything is mixed well, pour jello mixture into your newly made "shot glasses" and put in fridge overnight.

Now, this is where we're going to get real.  Remember where I prefaced that it was very important to use only strawberries without holes in them?  Well, I didn't.

And this is what I woke up to in the morning.  So next time (and you're lucky enough to learn from my mistakes!), I'll be heeding my own (and Bakers Royale's) advice!

Bakers Royale suggests rimming your strawberries with salt at this point, but I have a serious problem with salt in margaritas, so I abstained.

I still had about half of my originals viable though, and that worked for me!  I have to say display was severely lacking due to the fact that I take a completely inappropriate amount of time to get ready to go out.  

These tasted so good - you could not even taste the (relatively cheap) tequila in them, and it was so fun to get to actually eat your shot - "shot glass" included!