This is a hot weather dessert that reminds me so much of being a kid. I remember my mom making this all of the time in those hot, humid WV summers. I’m not sure where this recipe came from. I think it’s an old recipe, though. I’ve seen variations on it and it was either a recipe given on a Cool Whip tub or on the back of a Jell-o box. I’m sure nearly everybody who grew up in the States has had this dessert at maybe a picnic or at school. It’s a classic!
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Crust
2 Cups pretzels, crushed
3 T sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
Combine. Pat into 9×12 pan. Bake 350 for 10 minutes. Cool.
Creamy Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
9 oz cool whip.
Combine. Spread over cooled pretzel crust.
Gelatin Filling:
Two 3 oz packages strawberry gelatin
2 cups boiling water
Two 10 oz packages frozen strawberries, partially thawed
Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add berries. Let mixture set 30 minutes.. Spread over second layer. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Spread more cool whip on top before serving.
An interesting variation on this recipe that I have seen quite a lot is to use orange gelatin and canned mandarin oranges. I’d like to try that variation someday, but I really love the strawberry version as well. It’s creamy, sweet, tart, and salty with fantastic texture.
YUM!
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Hmmm… Looks interesting! can I substitute the pretzels with granola or graham crackers?
You sure can! Those are great ideas actually. I do like the pretzels as a crust, though. The salty in contrast with the sweet makes for a nice mouth-adventure
Hmmm….I’ve never had this, lol…but it looks good