Do you have a family recipe that you just love and it brings you so many great memories and comfort when you make it? We have a lot of recipes like that in our family (my grandma was brilliant in the kitchen!) and strawberry pretzel dessert is one of these recipes! Grandma introduced this to our family and it’s become a spring tradition; whether we have it for Mother’s Day or Easter, it’s a must-make every spring (we usually make it for Easter).
It somewhat resembles strawberry pie, with a layer of cream cheese and strawberries chilled in a layer of jello. I think what makes this dessert is the crust. The salty pretzel crust combined with the sweetness of the strawberries and cream is the perfect blend to satisfy a salty-sweet craving.
It’s the perfect dessert for this time of year, when strawberries are in season. But even if they aren’t in season, you can use frozen strawberries and it’ll still be wonderfully delicious. It’s easy enough to make, though it takes a little bit of time and patience for the cooling processes. I would say this a wonderful dessert for men to make for their wives or mothers this Mother’s Day (hint hint) 😉
Here’s what you need, and I’ll walk you through it, step-by-step.
First, preheat your oven to 350 and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
Step 1: In a ziploc bag, crush your pretzels. You don’t want it to be fine as sand; you can have some bigger chunks in there, but you do want mostly smaller bits so that there aren’t big spaces in your crust (a little “sand” is okay).
Step 2: Melt your butter and then in a small bowl, mix 2 2/3 cup crushed pretzels with the melted butter and sugar. Pour into your 9×13 dish and press it down firmly with a spatula so that it binds together. Put it in the oven for 10 minutes to bake and then take it out and put it on a cooling rack. Let it cool completely before adding any layers on top of it.
Step 3: Slice (don’t chop!) your strawberries. Dissolve jello in boiling water. Let it cool if you are adding fresh berries. If you are using frozen berries, you can add it to the jello while it is hot. It will take a few minutes for your jello to cool, so while it’s cooling, set it aside and move on to step 4.
Step 4: With a mixer, cream together an 8 oz. package of cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and 8 oz. of cool whip. Once your crust is completely cool, spread this mixture on top of the crust. Make sure that you “seal” the edges of the crust. I do this by taking my spatula and spreading it up against the pan. If there are any gaps or holes, your jello will leak down into the bottom and make your crust soggy. Nobody likes soggy crust, so don’t let that happen! Make sure there are no holes!
Step 5: Now that your jello mixture is cooled, carefully pour it on top of the creamed mixture. Put it in the fridge until the jello sets.
Step 6: When the jello is set, spread the remaining 8 oz. of cool whip across the top. Cut into squares and serve when ready!
Yum!! I don’t know how to make this photo look as good as it tastes, ha ha. But trust me, this recipe is gooood!!!
Keep any leftovers in the fridge. It will keep for about 5 days; after that, the crust tends to get soft.
You can change the strawberries out for any kind of fruit. I have a friend who makes this and uses peaches, pineapple, raspberries (the raspberry is yummy!!) Just make sure to change your jello flavor to whatever fruit you use. Or not. It’s up to you! Have fun with it and enjoy!
| Prep Time | 20-25 minutes |
| Cook Time | 8 minutes |
| Servings |
squares
|
- 2 2/3 cup pretzels, crushed
- 5 TB sugar
- 3/4 cup melted butter
- 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
- 1 cup sugar
- 8 oz. cool whip
- 1 3.5 oz. box strawberry jello
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 pint/basket sliced, fresh strawberries (can substitute with 2 cups frozen)
- 8 oz. cool whip (for topping)
Ingredients
Crust
Cream Cheese Filling Layer
Jello Layer
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|
- Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a ziploc bag, crush your pretzels. You don't want it to be fine as sand; you can have some bigger chunks in there, but you do want mostly smaller bits so that there aren't big spaces in your crust (a little "sand" is okay).
- Melt your butter and then in a small bowl, mix 2 2/3 cup crushed pretzels with the melted butter and sugar. Pour into your 9x13 dish and press it down firmly with a spatula so that it binds together. Put it in the oven for 10 minutes to bake and then take it out and put it on a cooling rack. Let it cool completely before adding any layers on top of it.
- Slice your strawberries and set aside. Dissolve jello in boiling water. Let it cool if you are adding fresh berries. If you are using frozen berries, add it to the jello while it is hot. It will take a few minutes for the jello to cool, so while it's cooling, set it aside and move on to the next step.
- With a mixer, cream together an 8 oz. package of cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and 8 oz. of cool whip. Spread on top of the cooled crust. Make sure that you "seal" the edges of the crust by taking a spatula and spreading it up against the pan. If there are any gaps or holes, the jello will leak down into the bottom and make the crust soggy. Make sure there are no holes!
- Once jello mixture is cooled, carefully pour it on top of the creamed mixture. Put it in the fridge until the jello sets.
- When the jello is set, spread the remaining 8 oz. of cool whip across the top. Cut into squares when you are ready to serve! Keep any leftovers in the fridge. It will keep for about 5 days; after that, the crust tends to get soft.
