Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad
Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad is a throwback dessert “salad” that’s easy and refreshing on a warm day. It hits the sweet, creamy, crunchy, salty notes in excellent balance. This is a semi-homemade version that includes a couple of shortcuts that are great time savers. At first, it may sound weird to use pretzels in the crust, but believe me, it works. And, no one is going to guess that those are pretzels until you tell them.
I’ve made this a number of times, usually for a group but it can be cut in half very easily. Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad was my featured dessert at my 40th birthday weekend getaway with a group of friends. I’ve taken it to potluck type gatherings. It’s also been a go to for 4th of July celebrations as an easy, cold dessert.
When shopping for the recipe ingredients I seek out the store brand items with the exception of jello. I’m not sure if there is a store brand, but I stick with the brand name strawberry or raspberry jello, and not the sugar free version. I’m sure it doesn’t matter, but I haven’t tested the theory.
I love cookbooks of all kinds, it’s no secret. But, it might seem strange that I’m also fascinated by the odd, self published, fundraiser type of cookbooks. I have a number of “churchlady” or school compilation recipe books. They’re less like cookbooks and more like a predecessor to Pinterest without the pretty pictures. That said, there are some great recipes for semi-homemade, bake sale, or potluck driven dishes. The casseroles, hot dishes, jello desserts, and salads with very few vegetables are delicious. Maybe not the healthiest for everyday eating, but tasty all the same. This is one of those fundraiser cookbook recipes that I’ve come to love, I hope you give it a shot!
Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad
Ingredients
1st Layer
- 2 cups salted pretzels, finely crushed
- 3 tsp sugar
- ¾ cup butter, melted
2nd Layer
- 1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 container Cool Whip
3rd Layer
- 2 3oz pkg strawberry jello
- 2 cups boiling water
- 20 oz frozen strawberries
Instructions
1st Layer
- Mix together pretzels, sugar, and melted butter; press into a 9×13" pan and bake at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes. Cool completely.
2nd Layer
- Combine cream cheese, sugar, and Cool Whip with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread over cooled pretzel crust.
3rd Layer
- Mix jello with water. Add frozen strawberries; stir and put in freezer until it starts to set. Pour over cream cheese and refrigerate until ready to serve
