Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Course Dessert, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword easy-strawberry-pretzel-salad, strawberry-pretzel-salad-recipe

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 12

Chill time 8

Total Time 8 37

Servings servings

Calories 474kcal

Ingredients

Crust:
2 1/2 cups finely crushed pretzels
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter melted
Cream Cheese Filling:
1 8 oz block plain cream cheese softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 16 oz frozen whipped topping (i.e. Cool Whip) thawed, divided use
Strawberry Jell-O Layer:
2 3 oz packages strawberry gelatin i.e. Jell-O brand or similar
2 cups boiling water
2 10 oz packages frozen strawberries in light syrup partially thawed

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
In a medium size mixing bowl toss together pretzels, ¼ cup pecans and sugar with melted butter. Mix until fully moistened. Press firmly onto bottom of dish. Bake for 12 minutes or just until set. Cool completely.
In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, whip together cream cheese and powdered sugar until combined. Add half and half and vanilla, whipping until smooth. Fold in 1/2 (8 ounces) whipped topping by hand. Spread over cooled crust taking it all the way to the edges of the pan. Chill while making Jello topping.
In a medium size mixing bowl, mix together Jell-O mix and boiling water. Stir until completely dissolved. Add frozen strawberries to jello mixture. Stir until combined then chill just until barely warm.
Pour strawberry Jell-O topping evenly over cream cheese. Use a spoon to gently arrange berries evenly on top before it sets. Chill for 8 hours or overnight.
Serve a dollop of whipped cream on each piece using the remaining whipped topping and garnish with a fresh strawberry.
Store leftovers chilled for up to 4 days.
How to Make Homemade Whipped Cream:
Place a large bowl and beaters into the freezer for 15-20 minutes to chill.
Once chilled, add one pint (or two cups) of heavy cream and 1-2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract to the bowl.
Using an electric mixer, beat on medium high speed gradually adding 1/4-1/3 cup of granulated sugar. You can adapt the sweetness to your taste.
Beat until stiff peaks form being careful not to overbeat.
Chill until serving. Fresh whipped cream is best made and served the same day.

Notes

- Frozen Strawberries - The strawberries used in the jello layer for this recipe are frozen. Choose firm, red strawberries for garnishing with bright green stems. Soft or mushy strawberries will continue to break down once served and will shorten the shelf life of the pretzel salad.

- Alternate Berries - You could adapt the recipe using cherries or raspberries.

- Press the Crust Firmly into the Pan - The crust for this strawberry pretzel salad isn't solid and some may break apart when you cut it into squares for serving. It doesn't mean that anything is wrong, it's just the nature of this recipe.

- Whipped Topping - Feel free to frost the entire top of the pretzel salad with the reserved whipped topping, the choice is completely yours.

- Pour Carefully When Assembling the Layers - When pouring the jello layer over the cream cheese layer, do so gently to avoid disturbing it. Using the tip of a knife, gently move the strawberry slices in the jello so they're evenly distributed throughout.

- Fresh Whipped Cream - You can use fresh whipped cream in place of Cool Whip for the cream cheese mixture and for garnishing. For the cream cheese filling, you'll need two cups of sweetened fresh whipped cream.

Nutrition