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Pretzel Salad

Pretzel Salad recipe image
This retro favorite delivers a stunning contrast of textures and flavors that never fails to impress. The base is a buttery, salty pretzel crust baked until golden and crisp. Over that sits a layer of rich, sweetened cream cheese softened with fluffy whipped topping. The star is the top layer: a vibrant, strawberry-infused gelatin mixture studded with frozen berries. It’s creamy, tart, salty, and sweet all at once. Perfect for potlucks, family gatherings, or a nostalgic summer treat. It looks impressive but comes together with simple pantry staples and requires no cooking beyond the crust.
Courses:
Difficulty: Intermediate
Description
This retro favorite delivers a stunning contrast of textures and flavors that never fails to impress. The base is a buttery, salty pretzel crust baked until golden and crisp. Over that sits a layer of rich, sweetened cream cheese softened with fluffy whipped topping. The star is the top layer: a vibrant, strawberry-infused gelatin mixture studded with frozen berries. It’s creamy, tart, salty, and sweet all at once. Perfect for potlucks, family gatherings, or a nostalgic summer treat. It looks impressive but comes together with simple pantry staples and requires no cooking beyond the crust.
Ingredients
  • CRUST
  • 2 cups crushed pretzels
  • 3/4 cup melted butter
  • 3 tsp sugar
  • 1 (8 oz) cream cheese
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 medium size Cool Whip TOPPING
  • 1 (6 oz) box strawberry Jello
  • 2 (10 oz) frozen strawberries
  • 2 cups boiling water
Directions
  1. 1
    Mix crushed pretzels, sugar, and melted butter.
  2. 2
    Press into a 9 x 13 glass dish. Bake at 400 degrees F for 8 minutes. Cool completely.
  3. 3
    Mix together cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
  4. 4
    Fold in Cool Whip. Spread on top of cooled pretzel crust.
  5. 5
    Dissolve Jello in boiling water, add frozen strawberries (water will melt them) Let stand for 10 minutes.
  6. 6
    Pour mixture onto cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Note

If you don't like strawberries, you can substitute another flavor of Jello and corresponding fruit topping.

Ensure the pretzel crust is completely cooled before adding the cream cheese layer to prevent melting.

For best results, use thawed frozen strawberries for the gelatin layer if you prefer a smoother texture, but frozen works well for the traditional chunky look.

Keywords: pretzel salad, strawberry dessert, retro dessert, potluck dessert, cream cheese dessert, jello salad, easy dessert, no bake dessert, summer dessert, classic recipe, crowd pleaser, fruit dessert
Read it online: https://www.chefs-mate.com/recipe/pretzel-salad/