Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Servings 12
Equipment
- Medium Saucepan
- 9 x 13 Inch Glass Baking Dish
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Wire Cooling Rack
Ingredients
Jello:
- 6 oz strawberry jello
- 2 cups boiling water
Crust:
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 2½ cups mini salted pretzels, crushed
Cream Cheese Mixture:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 oz Cool Whip, thawed in the refrigerator
Other Ingredients:
- 1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled & sliced
- Whipped cream, for serving, if desired
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, dissolve the strawberry gelatin in 2 cups of boiling water and mix well; set aside to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the crushed pretzels and stir until well combined.
- Press the mixture firmly and evenly into an ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
- Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature on a wire cooling rack.
- In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and the vanilla with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- Fold in the whipped topping until no streaks of cream cheese are visible.
- Spread the creamy mixture evenly over the cooled crust, making sure to spread it to the very edge of the pan to prevent the jello layer from leaking through. Place into the refrigerator while you prepare the strawberries.
- Hull and slice the strawberries, then add them to the large bowl of dissolved jello and mix well.
- Pour and spread strawberry jello mixture evenly over your cooled cream cheese layer. Side Note: You can also layer the strawberries on top of the cream cheese layer and then pour the cooled jello on top of them if you'd prefer.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until jello is set (2-4 hours). Slice and serve. Enjoy.