The first time I had this easy no-bake berry mello was in Canada when I visited my aunt during a high school Christmas break.  The original recipe is called "raspberry mello" using frozen raspberries, raspberry jello on top of a graham cracker crust and topped with a blended whipped cream marshmallow topping.  The frozen berries help the jello to set. When I first made it in Canada, we didn't have frozen rasperries so my aunt told me to leave the jello outside and it would set in the cold!  That was the temperature in Canada where the jello made with boiling water would actually set outside!

I have always loved this dessert because it is light, not too sweet and a great summer dessert, especially when you can get fresh strawberries at peak ripeness and freeze them for desserts like this! I especially like the whipped cream, marshmallow topping. The texture is so unique! It also makes a great patriotic or holiday dessert as a result of the colorful berries.  You can actually make a red, white and blue berry mello!

Tips for making easy no-bake berry mello.

This recipe is easy to make but it does take at least 3 hours to set (preferably 4-5 hours), so plan accordingly.  This is a great recipe for a make ahead dessert because you can just set it and forget it! (Pardon the pun!)  Easy no-bake berry mello can be made in a clear glass pyrex pan or a springform pan. When the dessert has PROPERLY set, the springform can be released, resulting in a beautiful layered dessert.

Crust.

The crust is usually made with graham crackers.  However, if you don't have those, you can substitute with any dry "biscuits" / cookies such as biscoff cookies.  If substituting with cookies that are sweet, do not add additional sugar to the crust.  Chocolate and strawberries always go well together.  You can use the chocolate graham cracker crumbs for a more "sophisticated" dessert!

Berries.

This recipes uses frozen berries. Freezing your own berries guarantees strawberries picked at the peak of the season.  You can use fresh berries, but the jello will need to partially set in the refrigerator before adding it onto the crust.  

Jello.

The flavor of the jello is dependent on the fruit being used.  Make the jello by adding 70% of the total water needed as boiling water then add the frozen berries.  The  frozen juice from the berries will provide the rest of the "water" and will also set the jello.  Pour the jello onto the crust before the jello is completely set.

Marshmallow cream topping.

Melted marhmallows are folded into the whipped cream.  It is better to use the largest marshmallows you can find and adjust the recipe accordingly.  Avoid using the mini marshmallows as the cornstarch that is used to keep the marshmallows separate is absorbed into the cream and you can feel the cornstarch texture in the cream.  The larger marshmallows will have less cornstarch.  This recipe uses the large marshmallows.

As mentioned earlier, this recipe will take at least 3 hours to set, preferably 4-5 hours.  Enjoy!