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 Jell-O
- 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, mixing 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.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and cool on a wire cooling rack.
- In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and 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 to the edge of the pan to prevent the jello layer from leaking through.
- Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the strawberries.
- Hull and slice the strawberries, then add them to the large bowl of dissolved Jell-O and mix well.
- Pour and spread the strawberry Jell-O mixture evenly over your cooled cream cheese layer. Side Note: You can also layer the strawberries on top of the cream cheese layer, then pour the cooled Jell-O over them if desired.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the Jell-O has set, about 2-4 hours. Slice and serve. Enjoy.