The first time I tried this dessert I fell head over heels in love. My sis-in-law made it for a dutch oven cookout we had over Easter weekend. It was sooo good! It's a cheesecake-like filling over a salty-sweet pretzel crust, topped off with fresh strawberries and jello. This salad screams summer! (I'm still wondering why it's called a salad... but oh well)
Strawberry Pretzel Salad2 -1/2 cups pretzels, crushed 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 (6 ounce) box instant strawberry jello
1 (16 ounce) container of fresh strawberries, sliced
OR 1 (10 ounce) package frozen strawberries
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 (8 ounce) container of cool whip
Directions: Combine crushed pretzels, sugar and melted butter together. Press into a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees, for 8-9 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Make the jello according to package directions. Add in the fresh strawberries. Place jello into the refrigerator until it's partially set. About an hour or so.
Beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Fold in the cool whip. Spread mixture over the cooled crust, making sure to cover crust entirely. You want to make sure it goes all the way to the edges of pan. (This will help the jello not leak through to the crust)
Pour jello over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate atleast 2-3 hours before serving! Enjoy :)
:.