Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Submitted by gmaterry

"My daughter gave me this strawberry pretzel salad recipe. It is a favorite of her in-laws. I tried it and it is delicious!"

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 18

ingredients

• 2 cups crushed pretzels
• 3⁄4 cup butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 (8 ounce) carton frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 2 (3 ounce) packages strawberry gelatin
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen strawberries

directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Stir together crushed pretzels, melted butter and 3 tablespoons white sugar; mix well and press mixture into bottom of 9x13-inch baking dish.
3. Bake 8-10 minutes, until set; set aside to cool.
4. In a large mixing bowl cream together cream cheese and white sugar.
5. Fold in whipped topping.
6. Spread mixture onto cooled crust.
7. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water.
8. Stir in frozen strawberries and allow to set briefly.
9. When mixture is about the consistency of egg whites, pour and spread over cream cheese layer.
10. Refrigerate until set.

Reviews

[Leilani]

Many years ago in college, a fellow student brought in this dessert for one of our assignments. Hers used raspberry jello and frozen raspberries. I was so hesitant to try it (due to the pretzel factor), but once I did, I couldn't get enough. Though she handed out the recipe, I lost it over the years. I have made this twice now in the past month to accolades both times. I don't remember the original recipe I had using sugar in the crust, but it really adds something special. After cooking, the sugar/butter seem to caramelize. You need to make sure to grease the dish before putting the pretzel crust in, as mine stuck both times. The first time, my 9x13" pan wasn't clean, so I put it into two 8x8" dishes. This worked just as well. Next time, I am thinking about trying it with orange jello and a can of sliced mandarin oranges. Thank you!

 

[Aunt Willie]

This is a favorite of ours! Because I am allergic to strawberries, I substitute frozen raspberries and raspberry gelatin with no compromise in flavor. Thank you for sharing!

 

[LuLus_cookin]

This recipe is a favorite of mine however, I used fresh, sliced strawberries instead of frozen. Also, to keep the crust from getting soggy I made sure to completely cover the pretzels with the crème cheese mixture and then place the pan in the fridge for about 15 minutes before adding the gelatin topping. Has turned out perfect every time!

 

[Mark & Stacy]

Fantastic! I crunched the pretzels by hand, so they were in pieces about a half inch long. I cut my strawberries into chunks and stirred them in. The jello began to set quickly with the addition of frozen strawberries. To avoid a soggy crust, just be sure the creamy layer reaches all edges of the pan and don't pour in the strawberry and jello layer until its beginning to set. I cut my strawberries and put th in jello as I cut th, and halfway through the cutting, it began to set. So I worked a little faster then :). It was set enough that it wouldn't seep anywhere. Made it 4 hours in advance and the crust was perfect still. Didn't start to lose its crunch until day 3. I had several people say "this is just like mom used to make!"

 

[Patricia D.]

This is terrific. I did use 8oz of mascarpone cheese and 8oz cream cheese instead of 2 8oz pkgs. cream cheese . It gave the cream layer a more “buttery” feel in your mouth and a richer taste. It was a real hit with my Mahjong group.??