Ptichye Moloko (Bird’s Milk)
Ptichye Moloko (Bird’s Milk Dessert): light and fluffy combination of creamy white and cocoa mousse-like layers. Easy dessert done in 30 minutes. This is another famous and classic easy recipe among Ukrainian families. The creamy mousse-like texture just melts in your mouth.
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Ptichye Moloko is a must for big holidays, major gatherings or just a random day of the week. It never gets old and you keep craving it so often. It’s extremely easy to make, takes less than 30 minutes to make it and couple hours to set.
You can prepare it the day before the event. The ingredients needed are very simple and very common that you probably already have on hand if you’re a baker.
I’ve always made this recipe in a 5-quart glass dish, slice and serve using a thin metal spatula. This dessert would feed 12-14 people, but in my family of 4 we always get it down in 2 days at a regular day. 🙂 It’s that good!
Most people prefer bird’s milk dessert rather than regular jello. This version of ptichye moloko sets really quickly, therefore, I would not suggest making it for little cups. It will start setting and by the time you fill the cups you’ll have to smooth it out with a spoon making the sides look messy.
Serving Ptichye Moloko
Use a sharp thin knife when slicing this dessert. Cut slowly and wipe knife off with a clean napkin when needed. Use a metal thin spatula to take each piece out and garnish with white chocolate curls (pieces) for a more elegant look.
Ingredients for Ptichye Moloko:
- 2 (16 oz) sour cream
- 2 (8 oz) original cool whip – thawed
- 1 cup granulated sugar – divided
- 4 pockets unflavored gelatin
- 2 cups whole milk – cold, divided
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- white chocolate for garnish – optional
Ptichye Moloko Vanilla Layer:
In a glass measuring cup, sprinkle 2 pockets unflavored gelatin over 1 cup cold whole milk. Stir with a disposable spoon, give 5 minutes for gelatin to bloom and then microwave in 30 seconds intervals, stirring every time until gelatin is dissolved (usually takes 2 minutes). Make sure not to boil! Set aside to slightly cool and for remaining gelatin bubbles to disappear while you beat remaining ingredients. (Note: I always pour the milk and gelatin mixture through a small sieve, to make sure none of the gelatin bubbles get into ptichye moloko; just in case something isn’t fully dissolved).
In a large bowl, combine 16 oz sour cream, 8 oz thawed cool whip and 1/2 cup sugar. Using electric mixer, beat on high speed for about 2 minutes until sugar is dissolved and all ingredients are well combined. Add all of the milk mixture to the bowl at once and beat right away on low speed for 40-60 seconds until everything combined. Quickly pour the cream into a 15×11 baking dish and gently shake the dish to equally spread ptichye moloko throughout the dish. Do not use spatula to spread! It will leave messy edges. Leave it at room temperature while you make the chocolate layer.
Ptichye Moloko Chocolate Layer:
In a glass measuring cup, sprinkle 2 pockets unflavored gelatin over 1 cup cold whole milk. Stir with a disposable spoon, give 5 minutes for gelatin to bloom and then microwave in 30 seconds intervals, stirring every time until gelatin is dissolved (usually takes 2 minutes). Make sure not to boil! Set aside to slightly cool and for remaining gelatin bubbles to disappear while you beat remaining ingredients. (Note: I always pour the milk and gelatin mixture through a small sieve, to make sure none of the gelatin bubbles get into ptichye moloko, in case something isn’t fully dissolved).
Combine and whisk 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa powder. In a large bowl, combine 16 oz sour cream, 8 oz thawed cool whip and combined sugar/cocoa mixture. Beat on high speed for about 2 minutes until sugar is dissolved and all ingredients are well combined. Add all of the milk mixture to the bowl at once and beat right away on low speed for 40-60 seconds until everything is combined. Quickly pour the cream over the white layer from step 1 and gently shake the dish for ptichye moloko to equally spread throughout the dish. Do NOT use spatula.
Cover dessert with plastic food wrap. (Having 4 hands for this would be a great idea so you don’t accidentally drop plastic wrap onto ptichye moloko. It will stick).
Refrigerate for 2-3 hours to set. Slice ptichye moloko with thin sharp knife. Garnish with white chocolate pieces before serving.
Explore These Other Ukrainian Desserts:
- Chocolate Spartak Cake – family-favorite chocolate cake
- Honey Cake – favorite cake for decades and the easiest
- Crispy Walnut Shaped Cookies – perfect for events and holidays
- Peach Pastries – filled with delicious dulce de leche filling
Ptichye Moloko (Bird’s Milk)
Ingredients
- 2 (16 oz) sour cream
- 2 (8 oz) original cool whip, - thawed
- 1 cup granulated sugar, - divided
- 4 pockets unflavored gelatin
- 2 cups whole milk – cold, divided
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- white chocolate for garnish - optional
Instructions
Ingredients for Vanilla Layer:
- In a glass measuring cup, sprinkle 2 pockets unflavored gelatin over 1 cup cold whole milk. Stir with a disposable spoon, give 5 minutes for gelatin to bloom and then microwave in 30 seconds intervals, stirring every time until gelatin is dissolved (usually takes 2 minutes). Make sure not to boil! Set aside to slightly cool and for remaining gelatin bubbles to disappear while you beat remaining ingredients. (Note: I always pour the milk and gelatin mixture through a small sieve, to make sure none of the gelatin bubbles get into ptichye moloko; just in case something isn’t fully dissolved).
- In a large bowl, combine 16 oz sour cream, 8 oz thawed cool whip and 1/2 cup sugar. Beat on high speed for about 2 minutes until sugar is dissolved and all ingredients are well combined. Add all of the milk mixture to the bowl at once and beat right away on low speed for 40-60 seconds until everything combined. Quickly pour the cream into a 15×11 baking dish and gently shake the dish to equally spread ptichye moloko throughout the dish. Do not use spatula to spread! It will leave messy edges. Leave it at room temperature while you make the chocolate layer.
Ingredients for Chocolate Layer:
- In a glass measuring cup, sprinkle 2 pockets unflavored gelatin over 1 cup cold whole milk. Stir with a disposable spoon, give 5 minutes for gelatin to bloom and then microwave in 30 seconds intervals, stirring every time until gelatin is dissolved (usually takes 2 minutes). Make sure not to boil! Set aside to slightly cool and for remaining gelatin bubbles to disappear while you beat remaining ingredients. (Note: I always pour the milk and gelatin mixture through a small sieve, to make sure none of the gelatin bubbles get into ptichye moloko, in case something isn’t fully dissolved).
- Combine and whisk 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa powder. In a large bowl, combine 16 oz sour cream, 8 oz thawed cool whip and combined sugar/cocoa mixture. Beat on high speed for about 2 minutes until sugar is dissolved and all ingredients are well combined. Add all of the milk mixture to the bowl at once and beat right away on low speed for 40-60 seconds until everything is combined. Quickly pour the cream over the white layer from step 1 and gently shake the dish for ptichye moloko to equally spread throughout the dish. Do NOT use spatula.
- Cover dessert with plastic food wrap. (Having 4 hands for this would be a great idea so you don’t accidentally drop plastic wrap onto ptichye moloko. It will stick). Refrigerate for 2-3 hours to set. Slice ptichye moloko with thin sharp knife. Garnish with white chocolate pieces before serving.
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Oksana says:
Literally the best jello dessert for the crowd. So easy to make, simple ingredients and never have any issues. Definitely recommend it!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Thank you, Oksana! I’m so glad you’re enjoying this recipe 🙂
Lena says:
I make some mistake and use 48 oz. sour cream instead of 32 oz ups,I hope it will be okay..It’s in my fridge right now, can’t wait to taste it..
Olga in the Kitchen says:
It will turn out just fine, just a tad tangier. 🙂
Denise W. says:
The easiest and tastier jello dessert anyone could ever taste. It set very quickly, not too sweet and the equal amount of each layer made this dessert extra elegant. I’m so glad I discovered your blog!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
You’re very welcome, Denise! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe and that you discovered us 🙂
Laurel says:
The best! Family loved it so much and asked me to make it again. It deserves 10 stars!!!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Thank you for your kind words 🙂
Maria says:
Your recipe turned out so delicious. For the first time ever (with your tips) my jello had even layers. It looked unreal it was that beautiful. Thanks Olga!!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
You’re very welcome Maria 🙂 I’m glad to hear my jello tips helped!
Cindy says:
Used to have this many many years ago. My favorite of all time! Thank you for the good memories. Going to make this soon.
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Gloria says:
Your ptichye moloko became our favorite quick dessert for the weekends. I don’t think any jello dessert can beat this dish. I especially love serving in big dish for the crowd, makes it so much faster and no big mess with the dishes. 💜
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Thank you Gloria for beautiful review! I’m so happy to hear this dish became a staple for your family 🙂
Val says:
Do you think I could pour a thin layer of chocolate Ganache over the top once it’s set?
Olga in the Kitchen says:
You definitely can! I do it myself sometimes. Just make sure the ganache is not really hot and I pour it over a spoon, letting it drizzle onto Ptichye.
Lily says:
I feel like your recipes get better and better lol this dessert was such a crowd-pleaser, my family kept asking where was I hiding this recipe so I shared. I mean WOW!!!!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
lol thanks Lily, it is definitely a crowd-pleaser!
Karyna says:
This is one of the best jello desserts I have ever tried. It’s so elegant, so gentle and just melts in your mouth. I added a bit more cocoa (no kids here lol) and it was just delightful! I even added this to my Easter menu.
Olga in the Kitchen says:
If not for kids, I’d add more cocoa too 😀
Inessa says:
Hi Olga,
I was just wondering, is there any substitute for the cool whip? It’s one of those ingredients that contains so much preservatives and chemicals I can’t pronounce, that I try to avoid it. But the recipe looks so delicious!!
Olga in the Kitchen says:
To be honest, I don’t even know. We had always used cool whip for this dessert because it makes the most delicious jello dessert :D. I’m not a huge fan of the corn syrup, the high fructose and palm oil (ingredients I try to avoid as much as possible), but I didn’t find similar substitute for cool whip yet. I know some people make this dessert with heavy cream, but I never tried. If you DO decide to make it with heavy cream, keep in mind that the whipped heavy cream doubles and it will be more than the recipe is calling. Sorry, cannot be a huge help on this one! 🙁 I’ll try to research for the future! 🙂
Oksana says:
Hi,
I make my prichye moloko with whole milk plain greek yogurt. It turns out so delicious. Also made it with organic heavy whipping cream.
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Plain greek yogurt is a great alternative to sour cream. We used to do with yogurt too. As for the alternative for the cool whip, heavy cream would work too. The texture will be a bit different (softer). I’ll be posting one with heavy cream proportions as well, as many people are not huge fans of cool whip. Totally understandable 🙂
Tuba shahroze says:
Hi
I’m from Pakistan so i don’t have that brand of gelatin pocket which you have used so please let me know gelatin in grams thank you 😍
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Each pocket is about 7 grams (or 2 1/2 teaspoons). For the whole recipe you will need 28 grams.
Sasha says:
Oh my goodness, had to make it twice last week and today again lol this is the best jello dessert I had ever made. Both layers are sooo soo good. Once you start with a bite you cannot stop lol This is definitely the staple dessert, I already added into my recipe book.
Olga in the Kitchen says:
Lol we got the same problem here. One week I had to make it 3 times in this sized dish and it just kept disappearing. Good thing it’s so easy to make 🙂