Confession #2: John and I finished half of this by ourselves last night.
Thanks to my old roomie Lisa for another winner. It sounds weird but the combination of the salty pretzels with the sweet Jello and cream cheese is so good!
Jello Pretzel Salad
by Lisa Poulsen
2 1/2 c. pretzels (crushed fine)
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 c. butter
1 (6 oz) pkg instant strawberry jello
1 10 oz. pkg. frozen strawberries or small container (16 oz) sliced fresh strawberries (I prefer fresh)
1 ( 8 oz ) pkg cream cheese
1 c. sugar
8 oz. cool whip
Combine pretzels, brown sugar, and melted butter and press into a greased 9 X 13 pan. You can use more butter if the crust isn't sticking together and make the pretzels more crushed than I did. Bake @ 350 for 10 minutes.
Make jello according to directions and add the strawberries. Refrigerate until partially set. *If it is not set enough it will leak through your cream cheese layer and make your pretzels soggy.
Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Blend in cool whip. Spread over cooled crust make sure you pread completely to the edges to create a seal so your jello doesn't leak through. Pour jello over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate.
I have to say this sounds very strange but the picture looks delicious!! I will try it. Also, do you have the recipe for that buffalo chicken dip? I seriously loved it when John made it for the super bowl.
i'm guilty of really liking jello! this looks delicious
What a classic! Haven't had this in ages. Pretty sure we used Cool Whip for the middle layer instead of cream cheese, though.
My family makes this every year at Thanksgiving and I think its my favorite dish. It is sooo good. We usually make it with the frozen strawberries and a can of crushed pineapple. It is the best combination ever. The sickly sweet jello and the salty buttery pretzels! I love it!
This is one of my favorite desserts. The salty with the cream cheese is awesome.
I used to have this in college all the time but since I didn't have a name for it haven't been able to find a recipe. Thanks so much for posting this! I look forward to making it and reliving some good memories. :)
This is the best dessert in the world. When i was younger i used to ask my mom to make it for every holiday! LOVE IT!!
I made this last weekend and my family was in AWE! The pretzel layer needed to be crushed a little more I think 'cause it didn't hold together real well, but we made it work. Next time we're trying it with cherries! Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful recipes.
This is my favorite summer dessert! The recipe I've always used has 3T sugar in the crust instead of the brown sugar..I'll have to try it your way now too! Also, I don't prepare the jello according to the box directions, I just add the 2 cups boiling water (not the extra 2 C cold). Thanks for sharing such a yummy treat!
This is definitely a family favorite. It's requested as birthday treats every year.
We use frozen fruit in the jello layer and count that as the cold water. If you push the cream cheese layer all the way to the edges to make a seal and then refrigerate to let that set and then pour the jello on, it won't leak. I did that once and it was quite a disaster...but still edible.
@Sarah,
I definitely need to add the sealing part to the notes. It's a must if you don't want a soggy layer on the bottom.
I haven't had this in years! I'm so excited to try to make it myself. (But, I'm more excited to eat it!!)
I'm not much of a jello person-but the salty/sweet combination sucked me in! After reading the comments I used frozen strawberries and then opted not to add the cold water to the jello (as per jello instructions) and it worked out fabulously! This was a huge hit and I will definitely make it again. The sealing thing is a big must too. Also Christy-when I hit the "printable version" of this recipe it left off the sugar and cool whip from the ingredient list. Not sure if it was just me! Anyway-I figured it out and was able to jot it down. Point of story=deliciosness.
What a fantastic recipe! I just wanted to let you know that I loved your post and I shared a link to your blog on my Notepad feature that will be posted tomorrow morning. Thank you so much for sharing! :)
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Looks great, but how is this a salad?
@Elise, you are right. No clue why this is called a salad but it's had that name for over ten years so that is how we know it.
My family started making this with strawberry pie glaze mixed with fresh strawberries as the top layer instead of the jello because my mother and I are not jello fans, and it is everyone's absolute favorite dessert!