Strawberry Pretzel Salad is the most irresistible strawberry dessert you may ever try!
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Chill Time6 hourshrs
Total Time6 hourshrs30 minutesmins
Course: Dessert, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12servings
Calories: 387kcal
Ingredients
2cupscrushed pretzels, about 6 cups worth of mini pretzels
¾cupbutter, melted
3tablespoonswhite sugar
8ouncecream cheese
1cupwhite sugar
8ounceCool Whip topping
6ouncepackage strawberry Jello
2cupsboiling water
16ouncesfrozen strawberries in syrup, frozen berries, or fresh(see notes for alternate methods)
Instructions
Pour boiling water into a mixing bowl and add the jello powder. Stir to dissolve. Add the still-frozen strawberries to the hot jello mixture and stir to combine. Set aside until the mixture reaches the consistency of egg whites.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Crush the pretzels in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin. Combine the crushed pretzels, butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar in a medium-size bowl. Stir to mix well.
Grease a 9x13 baking pan with butter and press the pretzel mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake 10 minutes until set. Cool completely.
Combine the cream cheese and 1 cup sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Stir well to combine.
Spread the cream cheese mixture over the completely cooled pretzel crust, taking care to spread it well to the edges to seal the crust.
Pour the jello mixture over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until set.
Notes
FROZEN BERRIES IN SYRUP – Aunt Judy’s recipe called for frozen strawberries in syrup. However, they have become increasingly difficult to find in stores. If you’re lucky enough to find them, this is my first choice for this recipe. You’ll want to use a 16-20 ounce container and include the syrup with the recipe.FROZEN BERRIES – If berries in syrup aren’t available, you can add 16 ounces of frozen berries to the hot jello mixture. Use a potato masher to break the berries into smaller pieces as they soften.FRESH BERRIES – Fresh berries make for the prettiest version. However, this version does not keep as nicely for more than a day or two. The berries on top of the dish won’t hold as nicely as the frozen ones in the jello layer. Pour the jello over the cream cheese layer and then gently scatter the berries across the jello.