Strawberry–Cream Cheese Salad
This recipe’s an oldie but a goodie. The sweet and creamy strawberry–cream cheese top is contrasted against the crispy, salty pretzel crust, which entices you to keep chowing down on bite after bite.
- Serves: 10–12
- Prep Time: 50 minutes, plus 2–4 hours chilling time
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 (6-ounce) package strawberry Jell-O
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2½ cups salted pretzels
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 (8-ounce) tub whipped topping, thawed
- 1½ pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, combine the Jell-O mix with the boiling water and stir for 2 minutes to completely dissolve. Set aside to cool.
- Put the pretzels in a plastic zip-top bag and crush them using a rolling pin.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter, then add ¼ cup of the sugar and mix. Add the crushed pretzels and stir to combine.
- Press the pretzel mixture evenly into a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and the remaining ½ cup sugar until fluffy.
- Fold in the whipped topping. Spread the mixture over the pretzel layer, making sure to cover the entire surface edge to edge. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
- Stir the strawberries into the cooled Jell-O. Carefully pour the mixture over the cream cheese layer.
- Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours, until set. Cut into squares and serve.