Strawberry Pretzel Jell-o Salad

Yes, this is a crappy photo. I forgot to take one until this was almost gone (it goes really fast). My mom-in-law got this recipe from a friend. It is Delicious. Some notes:

1. Use full-fat cream cheese. Fat-free does not set up and will ruin this lovely dish. We've been there, done that.

2. Crush your pretzels really well. No big pieces. I'd say "finely crushed," but in my mind that sounds like "powdered." No powdered pretzels - that's going too far. I usually stick the pretzels in a quart-size freezer-weight Ziploc bag and pound away with a meat mallet (on the smooth side). Or you can use a rolling pin or a food processor if you are a lucky duck and have one.

3. This is even better with raspberries (my mom-in-law's suggestion). I made the above salad with half frozen strawberries and half frozen raspberries. Don't be afraid if your frozen berries don't equal 20 oz. - mine were more like 24 oz. and it turned out fine. I also used a 3 oz. strawberry and a 3 oz. raspberry instead of one 6 0z. strawberry Jell-o.

STRAWBERRY PRETZEL JELLO SALAD

2 cups crushed pretzels
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 (8 0z) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 (8 0z.) carton Cool Whip, thawed
1 (6 oz) package strawberry Jell-o
2 cups boiling water
2 (10 oz each) packages frozen sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix crushed pretzels, melted butter, and 3 Tbsp. sugar together. Press into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool completely.

In a large bowl, blend cream cheese and powdered sugar with an electric mixer. Blend in Cool Whip. Spread onto cooled crust.

In a large bowl, mix Jell-o with water until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add frozen berries and stir until berries soften and Jell-o starts to thicken. Gently pour over cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm.

Yum! Yum! Yum!