Cranberry Pretzel Salad

Course Dessert, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword cranberry-pretzel-salad, fruit-salad, jello-desserts, pretzel-salad

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 12

Chilling time 8

Total Time 8 37

Servings servings

Calories 344kcal

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups crushed salted pretzels
1/4 cup chopped pecan pieces, plus 2 Tbsp divided
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter melted
1 8 oz block cream cheese softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 8 oz frozen whipped topping thawed and divided
2 3 oz boxes cranberry or black cherry Jell-O mix
2 cups boiling cranberry cocktail juice or water
2 14 oz cans whole berry cranberry sauce

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
In a medium size mixing bowl toss together pretzels, 1/4 cup pecans and sugar with melted butter. Mix until fully moistened. Press pretzel mixture firmly onto bottom of prepared dish. Bake for 12 minutes or just until set. Cool completely.
In a medium size mixing bowl using an electric mixer, whip together softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until combined. Add cream and vanilla, whipping until smooth.
Fold in one 8 oz container whipped topping by hand. Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled crust. Chill while making jello topping.
In a medium size mixing bowl, mix together Jell-O mix and boiling cranberry juice OR water. Stir until completely dissolved. Add cranberry sauce. Stir until combined and cranberry sauce has melted. Chill for 30 minutes.
Pour cranberry Jell-O topping evenly over cream cheese. Use a spoon to arrange cranberries evenly on top before it sets. Chill overnight to allow it to set.
Frost the top with remaining whipped topping and sprinkle with reserved 2 Tbsp pecans. Store leftovers chilled covered with plastic wrap.
Cook's Note: You can serve this pretzel salad plain without whipped cream and pecans on top.

Notes

Nuts - Adding chopped pecans to the pretzels in the crust adds a fantastic nutty flavor to the base. You can omit the nuts or use walnuts, if preferred.
Cream Cheese - You can use Neufchatel cheese in place of full fat cream cheese.
Fruit - You can make this with red raspberries and raspberry jello. See how to make my Strawberry Pretzel Salad here.
Pineapple - You could add one 8 ounce can of well drained pineapple tidbits to the cranberry layer.
Citrus - You could add 2 tablespoons of fresh orange zest to the cranberry mixture.
Press the Crust Firmly - It's important to press the crust firmly onto the bottom of the dish before baking so it will hold together when sliced. Please note, it's not unusual for the pretzel crust to crumble a bit when cutting. This is normal, and part of the charm of this Cranberry Pretzel Salad.
Cream Cheese Layer - When spreading the cream cheese layer, make sure you take it completely to the sides of the dish to prevent the Jell-O from seeping down the sides.
Chill Thoroughly - To keep the layers separated when assembling, allow each one ample time to chill and fully set-up. Just like any Jell-O salad it's important to allow plenty of time for it to chill before cutting into pieces for serving.
Pour Gently - The cranberry Jell-O shouldn't be completely congealed before pouring on top, but it should be cool. Pour it gently so as to avoid disturbing the cream cheese layer. Use a spoon to arrange and separate the berries so they'll be in each piece before it sets up.

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