I’ve looked forward to eating Strawberry Pretzel Salad every summer for as long as I can remember. Anytime my mom would ask what I wanted to eat during the hot summer months, I usually responded by requesting “that pretzel dessert.” Of course she knew what I meant. I mean how many desserts include crushed pretzels in the ingredients, right?
Strawberry pretzel salad is quite different from other classic summer desserts. It’s got a sweet, crunchy pretzel layer on the bottom, topped with an almost cheesecake-like layer made with cream cheese and cool whip, and finished off with a layer of strawberry jello. I don’t know what it is about this combination of flavors, but it’s ah-mazing! If you’d ever had this dessert, you know what I’m talking about…
Put together, these layers make for a creamy, sweet, and refreshing summer classic dessert. Add some blueberries to the jello layer, and you’ve got a perfect 4th of July dessert!
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Makes 15-18 servings
Ingredients:
- 6 oz. package strawberry jello
- 2 cups water
- Optional: 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries or blueberries
Pretzel Layer
- 2 cups roughly chopped pretzel sticks
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
- 12 oz. cool whip
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions:
Jello Layer
- Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat.
- Stir in the jello until completely dissolved.
- If adding sliced strawberries or blueberries, mix them in now.
- Refrigerate the jello until it begins to thicken (do not let it set completely!).
Pretzel Layer
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a 9×13 pan, mix together the crushed pretzel sticks, melted butter and brown sugar. Pat down with the bottom of a spoon to cover the bottom of the pan with the pretzel layer.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 7-8 mins, then refrigerate after cooling slightly while you make the other layers.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, cool whip and sugar until combined.
- Refrigerate until ready to assemble the layers.
- When all of the layers are ready, take the pan with the cooled pretzel crust out of the refrigerator.
- Spread the chilled cheesecake layer over the pretzel layer.
- Pour the jello over the cheesecake layer.
- Refrigerate until set (preferably over night), and enjoy!
Original recipe by La Casa de Sweets
This is one of my husband’s favorites! We look forward to it each summer as well!