Derived from https://spicysouthernkitchen.com/strawberry-pretzel-salad
- 2 cups (8 oz) crushed, slightly-salted pretzels (easiest with sticks)
- 3/4 cup butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1.5 cup sugar (for frosting)
- 12 oz (from 3/4 pint of heavy cream) of wipped cream (see wipped cream recipe)
- 2 (6-ounce total) package strawberry Jello-O
- 1.5 cups boiling water
- 1 cup of cold water + enough crushed ice to make 2.5 cups
- 2 cups thinly sliced fresh strawberries
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, mix together crushed pretzels, butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar. Press into a lightly greased 9X13-inch pan. Bake for 8 minutes and cool completely. It will stick to the bottom and that is good.
- Use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese and 1 cup sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping using a rubber spatula. Spread over cooled pretzel crust being sure cream cheese mixture completely covers and seals the crust so no jello can get through to the pretzels. If you have any doubt, make more topping because if the jello gets through it will make the pretzels soft.
- Refrigerate the cream cheese covered pretzels for at least 30 minutes but ideally overnight.
- In a bowl, whisk together jello and boiling water until jello is completely dissolved (2 minutes). Add the strawberries. Stir in ice water and stir until thickens sligtly.
- Remove any remaining ice
- Gently our jello over top of cream cheese layer.
- Refrigerate until firm (1.5 hours).