Strawberry Pretzel Salad

This traditional strawberry pretzel salad is a dessert that everyone goes crazy for. Sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy, and filled with old-fashioned charm!

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Refrigerate: 3 hours 30 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours

Servings:

Ingredients

Layer 1:

1 3/4 cups crushed pretzels , about 6-7 cups pretzels
3/4 cup salted butter , melted (12 Tablespoons)
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Layer 2:

12 ounces cream cheese , softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
8 ounces cool whip , softened (1 container)

Layer 3:

2 cups boiling water
6 ounces strawberry jello , two 3-ounce boxes
1 pound fresh strawberries , hulled and sliced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 9x13" pan and set aside. Crush pretzels in a food processor or blender and then stir in melted butter and sugar until combined. Press evenly into pan and bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool. You can refrigerate once pan is cool enough to touch to speed the process.
In a medium size bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer. Mix in sugar and then stir in cool whip.
Drop about 8 spoonfuls over the top and carefully spread out on top of pretzel crust. Make sure to go all the way to the edges so the jello mixture doesn’t leak through. You can use your finger with a paper towel to run along the edges to make them clean lines. Refrigerate for about 1 hour, or until set.
While you are refrigerating the cream mixture, place the strawberries in the freezer for the hour to chill.
Combine the jello and boiling water and stir until the sugar is dissolved (about 2 minutes). Then mix in the frozen strawberries. Place in the refrigerator for about 5-10 to thicken slightly. Add 1-2 ice cubes if it's too hot.
Once it has slightly thickened, pour on top of cream cheese mixture and refrigerate until jello is firm, at least 2 hours (I like to leave overnight). Slice and serve once firm.

Nutrition

Author: Jamielyn Nye