The One With the Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Have you ever made something that tasted like a sigh of satisfaction? It was just so good and light and delicious in it's simplicity? Well, whether you have or not, you should really try making these:

I don't really know what to call them. So I'm going to call them Strawberry Pretzel Salads. I saw the idea here and it immediately reminded me of a salad my mom usually makes for Christmas that is so good my mouth is watering right now just thinking about it. I figured I would make my own version for Olivia's first birthday party. And make them in individual servings for the fun of it.

The following recipe makes 24 individual servings in 8 oz glass jars. Alternatively, you could make this in 2 9x13 in Pyrex dishes.

 

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

You will need 24 8oz. oven-safe jars. I used the ones made by Kerr and found them for pretty inexpensive at my local Fred Meyer/Kroger in the canning section.

Pretzel Layer

• 3 cups crushed pretzel crumbs
• 20 oz. (2 1/2 sticks) butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Crush pretzels to make crumbs. Don't make them too fine, you want the crumbs to be coarse. Melt butter. In a medium bowl, combine pretzel crumbs, butter and sugar using a fork. Distribute pretzel layer among the oven-safe jars - about one and half heaping tablespoons per jar. Use the bottom of a glass to press the pretzel layer down and make it firm - but not so firm that it will be impossible to eat. Place on a cookie sheet and then on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 6 minutes. Set aside to cool completely before adding the cream layer.

Cream Layer

• 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
• 16 oz. container of whipped topping (like Cool Whip)
• 1 cup sugar

Cream together the sugar and cream cheese first. Add the cool whip and combine thoroughly. To make it easier to distribute among your dishes, you may want to spoon the cream mixture into a gallon-size Ziplock bag. Cut off one corner of the bag and pipe the cream into the jars. Use a small spoon, like a baby spoon, to spread the cream until it is evenly distributed in each jar. Try to eliminate any holes in the cream so that the jello mixture won't leak through.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Strawberry Jello Layer

• 2 lbs frozen sliced strawberries*
• 4 cups boiling water
• 2 6 oz. pacakges strawberry gelatin mixture

Boil the water. Use a whisk to combine the gelatin powder, stirring quickly until it is all dissolved. Add the frozen strawberries and stir to incorporate. Place in the fridge for about 5 minutes to allow it to set up slightly. 

Spoon the jello mixture onto the cooled crust and cream layers.  Refrigerate for at least an hour to overnight. Serve chilled.

*I later made this recipe using frozen mixed berries instead of just strawberries, and it was really, really good.

Everyone at the party really enjoyed these. They were easy to eat and incredibly tasty. Olivia went a little crazy for them. See?

This recipe is adapted from one I saw here. If you don't want to make 24, check that link for a 12-serving recipe. The fun thing about making these in individual dishes is that they make great left overs you could grab on your way to work, or, if you were willing to part with your jars, they would make excellent favors. They also become pretty kid friendly if you serve just the jello layer to young ones.

I shared this recipe at some of my favorite link parties! See the "Sharing" tab!