Strawberry Pretzel Salad

This week is Christmas and I am making all the favorites. Some easy and some store bought. Leave a comment in the comment section with your favorite Christmas dishes. 

This is actually a salad. There, I have cleared it up for everyone. Ha! I think at every family gathering someone always asks why this dish is out with the food and not the deserts. I always laugh but it’s true, it’s a salad. It has salad in its name. The crunchy sweet and salty buttery crust with the super sweet creamy middle and then the healthy jello and 🍓 strawberries on top 🤣 - SALAD people! Don’t we wish all salads would be this amazing? The best part of this dish is that I don’t have to share it with my husband. He hates strawberries. Can you imagine that? It actually is a real benefit in these situations. 😆

Let’s get to it! 

Strawberry Pretzel Salad 

Crust:

• 2 cups crushed pretzels
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, melted

Middle:

• 1 pkg cream cheese
• 1 pkg Dream Whip
• 1 cup sugar

Top Layer:

• 6oz box Strawberry gelatin
• 1 tub frozen strawberries 23.2 oz. thawed.
• 2 cups pineapple juice or water

First combine ingredients for crust and place in a 9x13 pan. Press down with a fork and bake for 10 minutes at 350. Let cool completely.

Tip: I bake the crust the day before and cool overnight.

Combine cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer. Be sure to have your cream cheese at room temperature or it will be clumpy. Add 1 envelope of Dream whip. Mix well and spread on cooled pretzel crust.

Tip: I like the taste of the dream whip but you could use whipped topping instead or real whip cream. 

Tip: I place the middle mixture and crust in the freezer while I prepare the top layer.

Combine 2 cups of hot (or boiling) water or juice with jello. Dissolve the jello and then add in thawed strawberries including the juices from the thawed strawberries. DO NOT pour that on middle mixture yet. It will get your crust soggy. Let it cool in the refrigerator for an hour or two until it starts to set up before pouring on to the middle mixture.

Return to the refrigerator for another few hours before serving. 

This salad should be cut in squares like brownies 😄  and served with a serving spatula rather than salad tongs 🤣. Okay, maybe it’s not a salad!