This is one of those dishes that sounds weird before you try it, but after sampling it at a party one time my family all fell in love with the salty/sweet/fruity combination. My kids have actually been bugging me to track down the recipe so I can make it for them again. This recipe is a combination of two I found--one from my Mom's church cookbook and one from Horse Jumper at Recipes Anonymous (an awesome foodie blog I just discovered). It's a little tricky getting it to look nice (as you can tell from my pictures), but I think the secret is to take your time. Allowing the crust and the Jell-o to cool before proceeding will make a big difference. Watch out when you make this, because it's totally addicting.
The ingredients:
2 cups hard pretzels, crushed
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 Tbs. sugar
1 package (8-oz.) cream cheese
12 ounces Cool Whip
1/2 cup sugar (I left this completely out)
1 package (6-oz.) strawberry Jell-o (or other flavor)
1 package (16-oz.) frozen strawberries, thawed (raspberries are also really good)
2 cups boiling water
For the crust, mix together crushed pretzels, melted butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar. Press into a 9x13-inch baking dish and bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes. Let cool.
Cream the cream cheese and sugar together, then slowly add Cool Whip until smooth. Spread evenly over cooled pretzel crust.
Mix gelatin in boiling water, then add thawed strawberries. Allow to cool,but not to set, (about 10-15 minutes) then spoon carefully over cream cheese mixture. If you pour the Jell-o mixture over the top before it has cooled you will get little chunks of the cream cheese mixture break off and float to the top. It still tastes fine, but it doesn't look as pretty. Garnish with fresh strawberries. Serves 10-12.
Enjoy!
The ingredients:
2 cups hard pretzels, crushed
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 Tbs. sugar
1 package (8-oz.) cream cheese
12 ounces Cool Whip
1/2 cup sugar (I left this completely out)
1 package (6-oz.) strawberry Jell-o (or other flavor)
1 package (16-oz.) frozen strawberries, thawed (raspberries are also really good)
2 cups boiling water
For the crust, mix together crushed pretzels, melted butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar. Press into a 9x13-inch baking dish and bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes. Let cool.
Cream the cream cheese and sugar together, then slowly add Cool Whip until smooth. Spread evenly over cooled pretzel crust.
Mix gelatin in boiling water, then add thawed strawberries. Allow to cool,but not to set, (about 10-15 minutes) then spoon carefully over cream cheese mixture. If you pour the Jell-o mixture over the top before it has cooled you will get little chunks of the cream cheese mixture break off and float to the top. It still tastes fine, but it doesn't look as pretty. Garnish with fresh strawberries. Serves 10-12.
Enjoy!
