Pretzel Salad

Pretzel Salad has been a tradition at my house for years.  It wouldn't be a holiday meal without it.  If there is turkey there is this salad.   Over the years I have changed it slightly, using different flavours of strawberry jello like strawberry banana and I have also used raspberry jello with raspberries.


The original recipe that I have, calls for a mold and then when you turn the mold over, the pretzels are at the bottom.  I serve it in a bowl and the pretzels go on the top.  If you have a mold, by all means use it.  Another think I at times do is not add the pretzels and add them with serving, especially if I know that the whole salad isn't going to be eaten.  The pretzels will get soggy when on the cream cheese layer when not eaten right away and who wants soggy pretzels.

Pretzel Salad

This picture has only a few of the pretzels
I normally don't add the pretzels until they are served to keep them crispy.  I serve the pretzels on the side.

Ingredients:
1- 6 oz package strawberry jello (raspberry works great also)

2 cups hot water

2 -10 oz packages frozen strawberries (raspberries work too) *

1 - 8 oz cream cheese

1- 8 oz container Cool whip

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/3 cup pretzels, crushed

3/4 cup butter, melted

2 tbsp sugar

Dissolve jello in hot water and add frozen strawberries.  Pour into mold or bowl and place in fridge until set.

In separate bowl mix cream cheese and sugar.  Stir in cool whip.

Once jello is set, spread cream cheese mixture over jello.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix crushed pretzels, butter and sugar.  Spread over cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool. 

Spread pretzel mixture over cream cheese.

If placed in mold,  when unmolded pretzels will be at the bottom.

* Cook's notes:  I don't always measure out my fruit as I freeze my own fruit.  I just pour some in, possibly a cup or two, sometime less depending if I want lots of fruit in the jello or not. 

* I also only make about 1/2 the recipe when there is just the two of us.  Although I do make the whole recipe of the pretzels and I love the taste of the pretzels on this salad.  The pretzels even taste good by themselves. 

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