Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

This Strawberry Pretzel Dessert is a chilled treat that’s perfect for summertime. It has sweet and salty, creamy and crunchy, and of course, strawberries. The salt from the pretzel crust is delicious with the creamy center layer of cream cheese and whipped topping. The top layer is made with strawberry gelatin with fresh (or frozen) strawberries. Delicious.

This dessert is easy to make in stages; the crust, the creamy center layer, then the top strawberry layer.

The taste is phenomenal with the salty pretzel crust, the cream cheese, and the strawberry layer on top.

For ease, you can use fresh or frozen strawberries, which allows you to make it year round. Yay!

Making Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

The Pretzel Crust

You’ll need about 4 1/2 cups whole pretzel twists to get 2 cups crushed, but make sure to measure the crushed pretzels.

Place pretzels in a large zip lock bag and crush them down to small pieces.

Use a meat mallet or a rolling pin. I recommend the meat mallet if you had a bad day.

The pieces need to be small enough that, when added to the melted butter, they hold together.

A few pieces here and there can be larger, but for the most part, they need to be small.

Alternatively, you can use a food processor, just be careful to not over-process into dust.

Next, stir in the brown sugar, then the melted butter.

Mix until there are no dry spots, then press into a greased 13 x 9″ baking dish.

Bake for 10 minutes in a preheated oven set at 400°, then allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

If you’re in a hurry and the crust isn’t cooling fast enough, set it in the refrigerator for a little help.

The Cream Cheese Center Layer

In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and granulated sugar.

Keep beating for a few minutes, thereby giving the sugar time to break down.

Then, fold in the whipped topping.

Dollop this mixture over the cooled crust, then spread into an even layer.

More specifically, spread it from side to side, corner to corner, concentrating on sealing off the crust below.

You want to seal it, so that when you pour the gelatin over the top, it won’t sneak underneath, which could make the crust soggy instead of staying crunchy. Icky.

Then, place the dish in the refrigerator while you work on the next layer, giving the cream cheese time to set up.

Can I use homemade whipped cream instead of whipped topping?

Yes, but it comes with a caveat.

Homemade whipped cream doesn’t hold up as long and can get weepy after a couple days. In other words, it could muddy the layers below; the crust.

This may not be an issue if you plan on eating the entire dessert the next day.

If that’s the case, start with about 1 cup of heavy cream, then whip. It usually doubles in size.

The Strawberry Layer

In a large bowl, dissolve the dry strawberry flavored gelatin in the boiling water.

Whisk for about 2 minutes, giving the gelatin time to dissolve completely.

Next, stir in the fresh sliced and chopped strawberries.

Why should I chop up the strawberries?

If you only slice the strawberries, like I did in these photos, it makes the dessert pretty, but hard to eat without tearing the top layer off.

A fork does not slice through a strawberry like melted butter, no. It drags it down into the crust, thus pulling the top Jell-O layer off. It’s not pretty.

So slice, and then chop.

Alternatively, you can use frozen sliced strawberries, which is handy when it’s the middle of winter and you’re craving some Strawberry Pretzel Dessert, but you’ll still need to chop them.

Whichever strawberries you use, stir them into the gelatin, then set the bowl in the refrigerator to set up a little.

Then, gently pour the strawberries and gelatin over the cream cheese layer. I say “gently,” because you can drill a hole in the cream cheese layer if you’re not careful.

To avoid that, pour the strawberries and gelatin into a large spoon that’s directly over the cream cheese layer.

This way the spoon takes the hit, and the gelatin sprays out over the cream cheese layer.

Gently move the sliced strawberries around to make sure they’re in an even layer across the top, then refrigerate again.

Love that refrigerator.

Now we wait until the gelatin is set, which can take up to 4 hours. It’s a great make-ahead dessert, especially if you need it for the next day.

Garnishing your Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

Garnish the top with piped on whipped topping, more strawberries, and/or whole or broken pretzels.

If you’re a strawberry lover, or just a dessert lover, you can click on them, or enter those key words in the top search box for more recipes.

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Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

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My Collected Recipes:

A quick mention of this wonderful blank recipe book that I helped to create with a very dear friend. Write in one or more recipes before giving it to that special person, then they can fill the remaining pages with their favorites, and/or have other special people write out recipes for them. It’s personal, and yes, it takes time and effort — something we’ve gotten away from with all this technology. Check it out HERE where you can order a hard or soft cover. Once there, click on READ SAMPLE to see the pages within. I especially like the “measurements and conversions” page. Also, I make no money from any sales, I just love the idea of this book. Missing my mom as I do, seeing her handwriting always makes me feel closer to her. Give that gift to someone else by writing out a favorite recipe.