This three-layer salad includes a pretzel crust, cream cheese center, and strawberry top.
I have made this a few times now with perfect results. I read the reviews prior to making it and found it extremely helpful to do the following: 1) instead of using 2 cups of water, use 1 cup of boiling water to dissolve the package of gelatin, then add 3/4 cup strawberry juice/syrup, and then add the strawberries; and 2)put the gelatin/strawberry mixture in the fridge for about an hour or so to thicken a bit before pouring it overtop of the cream cheese mixture (this is very key for the success of the dessert). I really think these changes helped to enhance the texture and flavor of the gelatin layer. I highly recommend trying this. I have taken it to two dinner parties now and cannot tell you how many compliments I received, my friends were thoroughly impressed. Thanks for the fantastic recipe!!!
Read MoreI gave this 3 stars just on the remote chance that I did something wrong. We thought that this was horrible. The prezel crust was soggy, and the jello mixture seeped through the cream cheese mixture and the frozen strawberrys were a big mistake. I just don't understand what could have gone wrong. I followed the recipe to a "T". I will not be making this one again. (Please look at my other reviews, I have only given one other negative review)
Read MoreI have made this a few times now with perfect results. I read the reviews prior to making it and found it extremely helpful to do the following: 1) instead of using 2 cups of water, use 1 cup of boiling water to dissolve the package of gelatin, then add 3/4 cup strawberry juice/syrup, and then add the strawberries; and 2)put the gelatin/strawberry mixture in the fridge for about an hour or so to thicken a bit before pouring it overtop of the cream cheese mixture (this is very key for the success of the dessert). I really think these changes helped to enhance the texture and flavor of the gelatin layer. I highly recommend trying this. I have taken it to two dinner parties now and cannot tell you how many compliments I received, my friends were thoroughly impressed. Thanks for the fantastic recipe!!!
This was really good! I added some vanilla (1/2 tsp) to the cream cheese layer. I also think the crust should be a bit sweeter- I will try it with white and brown sugar next time. As other readers have warned, this crust will turn to CEMENT if you cook it too long. Take it out after 10 minutes even if you don't think it's cooked. It will get hard as it sits! Roll the side of a drinking glass over the crust in the pan- it makes an easy job of pressing it in.
I have been making this for at least 15 years and everyone fights over it. They want to get their share. My recipe differs a little. It calls for 2 cups pretzels, marg. instead of butter and 3 tsp.( I use heaping tsps.) sug. for crust. For cheese middle it is the same only it calls for 1- 8 oz cream cheese instead of 2. Top layer is 2 small pkgs. jello,water the same,but use 2-10 oz. cartons frozen strawberries. I like Birdseye brand in syrup. If berries are whole, I chop them up. It really needs to chill several hours. This is my most requested jello recipe ever! It really is like a dessert! When I first made it, no one could figure out what the bottom was made of! You really must try. Thanks Tom!
Delicious! This a a great dessert! Two suggestions: 1) do not bake the crust any longer than the 10 minutes called for, even if you are adding extra pretzels, butter and sugar to the crust. If the butter/sugar mixture gets too hot it will turn to cement and a chisel will be required for removing it from the dish- I found out the hard way and 2) when choosing your strawberries take note of the amount of juice they are sitting in and reduce the two cups of water by that amount. Enjoy!
I've made this several times for work potlucks. I would make it the night before and it always turned out beautifully (it's a big hit!). Once I made it during an afternoon for dinner that night and the pretzel crust was much too hard. I think the trick is letting it sit overnight long enough for the crust to soften. It's definitely my favorite!
This was indeed quite good. I made it precisely as the directions say, including all frozen strawberries, juice and a full 2 cups of water, and the jello was perfect. I ONLY baked for 10 minutes as everyone suggested and I did let the jello/strawberries sit for an hour in the frig first. Even then they still seemed to pour onto the cream cheese layer fairly liquidy so I worried that it wouldn't gel but it did set up perfectly. The jello did not seep into the cream cheese. The pretzel crust certainly does get more mushy the longer it's in your frig after making so if you can eat all of this in 1-3 days, that's preferable.
I made this for thanksgiving and it was one of the first dishes to go. The only change I made was I used frozen sliced strawberries (2 tubs) so the strawberry chunks weren't so big.
Enjoyed by all. I used butter flavor pretzels. No one guessed it was a pretzel layer. I used fresh strawberries and made the jello as I was beginning the recipe. I then refrigerated and, by the time it came to do the jello layer, the jello had thickened enough for the strawberries to be folded in. Thanks for sharing!
Loved this! Baked my crust a little longer so it would be good and crispy. The first time I made this, I didn't take the time to let the gelatin/strawberry mixture partially "gel" and it ran into the pretzels and made them soggy almost immediately. Second time, I let it "gel" a bit and it turned out picture perfectly. The crust was still crunchy on the 2nd day...not so good on the 3rd...but still. A great recipe!
A Yummy Dessert! Here are few tips for a crunchy pretzel crust.. 1st, make sure you allow the pretzel crust to cool completely after baking. 2nd, make sure your cream cheese/cool whip layer is thick enough! I actually like to make 1&1/2 the amt or even double this portion of the recipe since it is the barrier between the pretzel& jello layers. Also, when you are spreading the cream cheese mixture over the pretzel layer make sure you get it all the way to the sides of the dish(all the way around)so that when you add the jello layer, there is no chance that the jello can leak down the sides of the dish& get to the pretzels. Once the cream cheese layer is on, refrigerate those 2 layers for about 30 min. This way the cream cheese layer is cold& more firm. Meanwhile, in a bowl put together the jello mixture according to the directions& place it into the fridge as well for about 20 minutes to help it set up before adding it to the top of the cream cheese layer. I usually check the jello mixture half way through it's time in the fridge&give it a good stir to see how it is doing& to mix it all up again. Once it is set up but is still able to be easily stirred, it's ready to go on top of the ream cheese layer.. After it is all put together, refrigerate for the recommended time& enjoy! I also found that it is best to eat this on the same day it is made...it never tastes the same the next day in my opinion...
Our family has been making strawberry pretzel dessert for at least 25 years. Even though it's called a salad, we always serve it as dessert. A couple suggestions that might help with the crust... I only use Rold Gold twist pretzels. I've tried other shapes, and other brands, and Rold Gold twists are the best for this. Do not pulverize the pretzels. In fact, I do not use the fine powder stuff in my recipe. Crush the pretzels until they resemble chunky nuts. Crush them just enough that they do not resemble pretzels anymore. I put my pretzels into a large ziplock, and hit/grind them with a soup can. Then I measure out the larger pieces for my recipe, and leave the powdery/salty bits out. If a few large pieces remain - you can crush them in the pan to break them down a bit. Also, my recipe calls for 2 cup of pretzels, 1 cup of butter and no sugar. With the other layers being so sweet, I don't think the crust needs sugar. Whether you serve it as a salad or a dessert, this is a delicious recipe!
This is delish! I used fresh strawberries because I don't care for the texture of defrosted frozen strawberries. I prepared mine in a spring-form pan and it made a beautiful presentation on my pink cake plate. LOVE this recipe!!
The freezer is your friend with this recipe. It makes this recipe fast and fool proof. I read most of the top reviews for this recipe and incorporated the best advice to knock this out of the park. 1st, I used two cups of crushed pretzels but didn't crush them down to total dust -- mostly just little nubby bits. Put 4tbspns sugar & 2 tbspns brown. Used Parkay instead of butter. Spread evenly in a 9x13 (was hard but I worked at it and got it done). Baked for only 8 minutes and let it rest on the counter until cooled. PERFECTION. Next I added vanilla to the cream cheese layer and popped it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. I made sure my cream cheese was spread to the edges and in the corners to seal the crust in. I followed another revewer's suggestion to use one cup boiling water and one cup strawberry juice (drained from tub of strawberries). I didn't get quite a full cup of juice from the first 10oz tub so I filled remaining 1/4 cup with with boiling water. Then I dumped in all of TWO 10oz tubs frozen strawberries. I put the mixture into the freezer for about 40 minutes until it was setting up but still fluid. I spread that onto the cream cheese layer (which was resting in the fridge) and put all of it back in the freezer for about 20 minutes at which point it was DONE. Not a drop of red bled into my cream cheese layer or crust. It was a thing of beauty. Crust was nice and chewy/crisp. Just as good next day too. Guests devoured so I'm making again this week for just us!
I have made this three times and given out the recipe twice. Everyone likes it! Make sure to follow the three "golden rules" for making it: 1)do not bake crust for more than 10 minutes, 2) Spread the cream cheese mixture all the way to the edges to "seal" out the jello, 3) Chill cream cheese layer throughly and jello layer slightly before pouring the jello over the rest so that you don't have marbeling.
This was out of this world! I received many compliments...especially about the crust :) I did change a few things: 1) I used about 2 cups of pretzels since I was using a 10" spring form pan. 2) I added a few splashes of vanilla to the cream cheese mixture. 3) I let the jello/strawberry mix set for about 45 min. 4) I baked the crust for about 8 1/2 min. and it was perfect. 5) Made sure I "sealed" the crust using the cc mix. I didn't want to pretzels getting soggy. Things I learned: 1) Not to use a spring form pan again. Too messy! If I do, I will half the jello mixture. 9x13 glass baking dish would be ideal b/c the colors are so pretty! 2) I plan on trying lower fat/sugar versions of all the ingredients next time. Well, maybe not the cream cheese ;)
This recipe makes the perfect pretzel salad. Word of caution: if you have thoughts of completely crushing the pretzels into crumbs, don't do it! I stuck the pretzels in the food processor once and the result just wasn't the same. Chunks of pretzels work best for this dessert!
This isn't usually my kind of dessert but I was surprised by how good it was. And honestly to all of you people complaining about the nutrition facts, just alter the recipe or be quiet! You're acting like you're going to eat this 3 times a day, every day. There's a thing called moderation, you know? Sheesh!
This tasted great!!! However, for those inexperienced bakers such as myself, please remember to grease your pan or the pretzel mix will stick. But nevertheless it's a perfect treat...the combination of salty and sweet was delicious. I didn't add the strawberries, only the strawberry Jello...still scrumptious!
I've been using this recipe or variations of it for years. Got even bigger kudos when using one 3-oz wild strawberry jello mixed with one black cherry. The black cherry really gives it depth. Sticking with frozen strawberries as the mixed blend tends to be mushy with the raspberries in it. Always a hit!!
Yum! This is one of my favorite salads. Growing up, my grandma made this for every family get-together. I loved it then and still do! Because I was taking this to my in-laws, I made a diabetic-friendly version (my MIL is diabetic). I substituted low-fat / fat-free dairy products, used sugar-free Jell-O, a single package of cream cheese and a T less sugar in my pretzel layer. I also substituted half Splenda for regular sugar in my cream cheese layer. I used a large can of crushed (drained) pineapple AND 20 oz. of strawberries for my gelatin layer. Instead of adding 2 c. boiling water to my gelatin, I boiled a 1/2 c. of my reserved pineapple juice and then added enough reserved strawberry juice to equal 2 c. (I add water if necessary). Being that I've been eating and making this since I was a child, I do have a couple of tips to help ensure a great outcome. First and foremost, DO NOT overbake your crust! Set your oven no hotter than 350 degrees and bake for no more than 10 min. (until golden). Your crust might not seem set, but it will once it cools. Second, only slightly crush your pretzels (sm. chunks work best). Finally, there's no need for your gelatin to set up before adding the fruit (I've never had issues with my gelatin "seeping" into my cream cheese layer). Thanks for sharing, Tom! This IS the BEST EVER!!! :-)
I use 2.5 cups of pretzels instead of the 1.5. People love this yummy salad! Always a hit when I bring it.
Excellent! I used Raspberries rather than strawberries.. have had this both ways.. Raspberries are a bigger hit..I also ADDED approx 1/2 box More jello to the 2 Cups boiling water.. then of course used frozen raspberries.. Also..be careful not to bake crust too long or the pretzel crust will be too hard.. Excellent recipe! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
This was such a different and great recipe. What a suprise with all the different kinds of ingredients. For the crust I did 2 sticks melted butter, 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar, and 3 cups crushed pretzel to make it one and a half the desired amount. I like a thicker crust. Did spray the pan with Pam and baked 10 minutes and it was perfect. The only other thing I did different was to use fresh strawberries for which I covered the cream cheese/cool whip layer with and poured the gelatin over them. I did let the gelatin set in the fridge for a half hour before pouring over the strawberries. People did want the recipe. I love suprise recipes that are fabulous!!
This is always a hit. I don't think the pretzel layer is thick enough so I doubled mine and it was perfect. The hints on here are accurate about not baking longer than 10 min and making sure each layer has chilled for a bit and letting the jello thicken just a tad in the fridge before adding. Thanks for the recipe. Will make this again!
5 star IF you follow these tips. The whipped cream and cream cheese layer HAS to be refridgerated for at least a half hour/hour b4 you pour on the jello...otherwise the white stuff will bubble up and the jello wont harden right. ALSO, make sure you use hard small thin pretzels. I tried making this with a little bit thicker pretzel and it ended up soggy for the final product. If you follow those tips, you should be alright.
I'm only giving this recipe 4 stars because the recipe, as stated, is way too much like a dessert and not really a side dish at all. In addition, it's super unhealthy and loaded with sugar. However, I have made this 4 times now tweaking it each time and I think I've finally figured out how to make a HEALTHY version! Here's what I do: 1) I cut the sugar down by 1/2 in the crust - you won't even notice it's gone 2) I use 1/3 fat cream cheese (often called Neufchatel)- don't use fat free, that stuff is gross! 3) instead of whipped topping, I use 8 oz. Chobani or Fage plain Greek yogurt - no sugar and adds protein while still keeping it thick and creamy 4) I use 1/2 the sugar in the cream cheese mixture as well - it's plenty sweet but more creamy 5) Lastly, I buy Knox gelatin and mix 3/4 package raspberry Jello with a single 1 oz Knox gelatin- this effectively "cuts" the sugar while still keeping the nice gelatin consistency. The end result is still amazingly delicious and WAY more healthy!
I followed the advice of many who have gone before me. I broke the pretzel pieces by hand. a roller would pulverize them. They were approx 1/4" pieces. I used slightly more butter than called for and it was a cinch to remove from the pan. I kept the mixture in the oven for 7 minutes since my oven runs hot and it does not have a setting. I used a square All-Clad pan and later I transferred it to a Sterlite plastic dish w/ an airtight cover and froze some squares. We are not going to eat that much butter & cream cheese in (1) week. We used frozen sliced strawberries from Walmart. They were not preserved in that sweet sticky cornsyrup. I folded the cool whip into the cream cheese. I sat the cream cheese out on the counter until it had the consistency of soft butter. I mixed it in a 4 QT OXO bowl. I love this bowl for everything. I put the Jello mixture into the refrigerator for approx 15 minutes to thicken it before pouring it over the cream cheese. I let the cream cheese mixture sit in the refrigerator overnight b/c I am a busy nurse who works 12 hr shifts and I make recipes late at night. I used 1 C boiling water and added the water from the strawberries and then added an additional quantity of hot water to equal another full cup. The Jello was thickening as I stirred so I new it could not sit in the refrigerator for an hour. My mother does not like the thicker texture of Jello. It does come out kinda rubbery, but it is ok for us. It was so pretty and tasty
Everyone raved about this dish! I used an additional 1/2 cup of crushed pretzels for the crust. Also used cherry jello and a 16 oz bag of "Very Berry Cherry" frozen mixed fruit from Trader Joe's. I like the smaller fruit so that is spreads out more evenly in the jello. I think I would also like this with a fruit compote on top.
I've made this wonderful salad for years, recently our granddaughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I've changed several things in this recipe to allow her to have a nice big portion. It took some experimenting but I now use Splenda in place of the sugar, sugar-free jello, lowfat cream cheese, lowfat Cool Whip and fresh strawberries or frozen w/o syrup. I add a little lemon zest to the cream cheese mixture and 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring to the strawberries. This is such a good recipe, even with all the changes to accomodate our granddaughter, no one knew the difference and scarfed it down just like always. It makes me so happy to make her favorite dish because it's the one she has always asked for on holidays and get-togethers.
Incredible! I made with one package of FF cream cheese and one LF. Also, sugar-free jello and FF cool whip. Still great!!
OHHH this is yummy! It tastes like a light, fluffy, strawberry cheesecake. Everyone loved this. My brother in law said after one bite, "OH this is so good!" The only thing I will do differently when I make it again is smash the pretzels with a rolling pin so they are more pulverized, but NOT smash it so hard into the pan when making the crust. If you press too hard, you have a crust made of concrete. It was still YUMMY!
I LOVE this recipe! The first time I made it I took the suggestions of some other reviews to double the jello. Personally, I thought it was too much jello. I prefer this recipe as is. Also, I've used fresh strawberry's because it's what I had on hand at the time and it came out wonderfully. Just make sure that if you use the fresh strawberrys to follow the directions on the jello box and add the cold water. And definitely make sure the jello sets before pouring it on top...I made that mistake the first time and the jello soaked through the pretzels.
I gave this 3 stars just on the remote chance that I did something wrong. We thought that this was horrible. The prezel crust was soggy, and the jello mixture seeped through the cream cheese mixture and the frozen strawberrys were a big mistake. I just don't understand what could have gone wrong. I followed the recipe to a "T". I will not be making this one again. (Please look at my other reviews, I have only given one other negative review)
I make this salad for every family get together. I use frozen raspberries and raspberry jello in place of the strawberries. This is definitely a family favorite!!!
I used fresh strawberries, so for the jello, I added 3/4 the amount of water the box called for. I also placed dessert in freezer to help set before pouring jello ofer strawberries. I also placed jello mix in bowl in freezer fro 20 mins to thicken up before spreading/pouring over strawberries, then placed back in freezer for 15 mins, then in fridge for an hour before serving. Jello set perfectly on fresh strawberries & looked like a gorgeous glaze!
Great recipe! I did use brown sugar instead of white sugar... and it came out great! I found if you use the frozen strawberries right out of the freezer, they are too solid. I actually microwaved mine to soften them up just a bit. I think next time I will leave the strawberries on the counter a little while before I am actually going to use them. Another tip is to make sure to "seal" the edges when you put the cream cheese mixture in. Otherwise the liquid jello will seep into the pretzels and make them soggy! I will make this again.
Great stuff. I did it as a July 4th dish and made up some blueberry Jell-o as well. I used some cardboard to section off a space for the blueberry "stars" and poured the rest strawberry to make a flag. If you wanted to take the time you could do stripes by pouring the strawberry into a same size pan lined with plastic wrap, cutting and piecing the stripes in and making stars with white choc chips.
This was a huge hit @ our 4th of July party... Due to dietary issues I used sugar free jello and cool whip. I cut the amount of sugar in the filling considerably I used 1/4 of a cup of sugar and 1/4 of a cup of splenda...I also used splenda and sugar mixture for the crust. I used fresh strawberries instead of frozen due to being in season. It was absolutely delicious! Cant wait to make it again.
Initially, not a big fan of foods that you would find, in multiple variations, at a church supper... but something about this caught my eye... maybe it was the pretzels. Followed the advice to adjust liquid in Jello based on liquid in the frozen strawberries. Other than that, added a little vanilla extract to the cream cheese (low fat used) and sugar. Also used low fat whipped topping. I wish they had low fat butter, I would have used that too. Regardless, everyone in the family was skeptical at first, but that changed quickly as they tried it. This will be made again with the addition of fresh strawberries, if I can find some that look half way decent. Yum delicious!!!!
The kids and I made this together for Father's Day. The only changes I made was to increase the crushed pretzels to two full cups and I used all reduced fat, sugar-free or "light" products where I could. After I mixed the strawberries in, it didn't look like quite enough, so I added in another cup. Noone noticed that it was a lighter dessert and I didn't say anything. It was still as good as it would have been with it's full fat counterparts. I think I could cut back some of the sugar in the "cheesecake" part of this dessert by half next time. As is, we ate it and enjoyed it very much.
STOP! and look no further for a strawberry pretzel dessert! This one is absolutely wonderful. The only change I made was the boiling water for the jello, I scaled back about 1/4 C...and I also let the jello/strawberry mixture set up for about 40 minutes. Also make sure to 'seal' the cream cheese mixture to the pretzel crust to prevent any seeping. This recipe is super yum!
This dessert is a winner. I did make a few adjustments. I used brown sugar instead of white sugar, whick made for a very tasty crust. I would advise using more pretzel ingredients if you like a thicker crust...I did. I also added a little vanilla to the cream cheese mixture and agave nectar instead of white sugar...delicious :)
This recipe got rave reviews at my family gathering. I made it as directed, however...instead of adding the frozen strawberries to the hot boiling jello, I let the jello cool for about 20 min before adding strawberries. I was afraid the strawberries would get too mushy adding to the hot water. I then added some more fresh sliced strawberries to give it more bulk. Before adding the mixture over the cream layer, I let the jello, strawberrie mixture cool a little more, until it started to thicken. Then I spooned it over the cream layer. I did'nt want the warm strawberry mixture to melt into the cream layer. It turn out beautiful. Very Yummy recipe
This was pretty good. I had to use a bit more crushed pretzels than called for because I had a little trouble spreading them out to cover the pan. I let a few people try this and they enjoyed it as well. Not sure if I'll make this again just because I'm not craving it. I ate almost the whole thing and got kind of burned out on it..but it is good. Thanks Tom.
I've made this several times and everyone is always amazed at how good it is. Be sure to completely cover the pretzel layer with the cream layer so that none of the liquified jello gets to the pretzels. That way the pretzels will stay crispy.
If I wasnt married I'd give Tom a hug!! I love this recipe! I have made it a few times and Everyone asks me for the recipe ! I even made this with orange jello and mandarin oranges!! Thank you Tom! Smack !
Absolutely the hands down favorite at our house. Couple of tips that others have mentioned-- 1. let the jello mixture thicken a little before you put it on top of the cream cheese. It just works better. 2. DO NOT overbake the crust. It WILL harden with a few minutes on the counter. 3. Make an extra one and hide it in the fridge so when this one disappears you can pull it out and have some yourself. Super easy and so tasty.
I was a bit skeptical about trying this, but it was the most amazing desert. I got many compliments on it and it has become my new favorite recipe. I would recommend making it the night before, it seems the longer it sits the better it gets. I used 2 8x8 square pans and it worked out perfectly.
this is sinful! i think i will reduce the cream cheese as suggested (even though my boyfriend thinks it was fine) to only one pkg. i used fresh strawberries and packed them on the top. if possible, find pretzels with no salt. next time i will use 1/2 with salt and the other without. so easy to make and very delicious.
Excellent! YES it is a dessert salad as others mention (but I would think you could figure that out by the ingredients??). Very tasty! Love the salty sweet combo in the pretzel crust. Also - I think some may get off track by the fact that it says "1 box" or package of jello. Most stores carry the SMALL boxes which are only 3 oz. in greater quantity than the 6 oz large boxes these days. So you may need 2 boxes if using the smaller ones (just take note it says 6 oz.). Great!
Follow the directions making sure you completely cover the crust with cream cheese mixture, and let the jello set a bit before pouring over top. I used about 3 cups of fresh strawberries.
This one is SOOO good! Be sure to use real sugar for the pretzel crust - I tried splenda for my diabetic relatives, and the crust didn't stick together when spreading the cream cheese. The rest was great, though!
Tasty. I needed considerably more pretzels than the recipe called for though. The crust stuck too, so I'll spray the pan with non-stick spray first next time.
Yummy! One of my favorites. I used fresh strawberries and doubled the amount of Jello. Make sure you spread the cream cheese layer all the way to the corners/edge of the pan or the jello mixture will seep down into the crust and get a little mushy. It helps to refridgerate the crust and cream cheese layer over night, before adding the jello layer.
delicious! i was going to give it 5 stars, but i felt like i needed more pretzels for the bottom layer crust. otherwise... amazing :)
You will not have any of this salad left when you make it!!! I cut the strawberries in quarters, which covered the top more, other than that it was GREAT!!!
Was looking for my lost recipe and this was it. I love this 'salad'. It is always such a hit. Just remember to take copies of the recipe with you because everyone is going to want to have it.
Oh, this is very good. I've actually made this with and without the gelatin topping, and when I omit the gelatin I like to spread a can of blueberry pie filling on top of the cream cheese mixture. I also think that sliced fresh fruit would be a good topper for this. The crust is wonderful as well, and everyone I make this for is always intrigued by the ingredients in the crust. I like to serve this as a light dessert. Great recipe, thanks so much!
I made this recipe for a family gathering but made it for the diabetics that were here. I used sugar free jello, sugar free cool whip, light cream cheese and splenda (instead of sugar). I was only expecting two people to eat it but it was gone before I knew it and the family was coming back for more. The second time I made it, I followed the recipe exactly and it was great too. I will be making this one again.
This is a amazing recipe! I doubled the gelatin so it was the same portion as the cream cheese filling. I also added a teaspoon of vanilla to my cream cheese filling. It's makes it taste so much better you have to add vanilla.
I made this salad for a group of 40 people and it was a HUGE hit! I doubled the recipe but would recommend using only 3 (8oz) packages of cream cheese.
I hope this tastes good when it is done. I followed another reviewers "advice" and doubled the jello. What a messy mistake. There was liquid jello all over my kitchen. With an active 2 year old boy running around this was not ideal, plus now my floor, and myself are very sticky. I think it will taste good. But if I make this again, I will definately only use one package of jello. Tried it in the morning, after it was all set. Wasn't very good. The pretzel crust was very soggy, and I did bake it. All in all quite disappointing!
Great recipe. Followed it exactly. Hubby took the leftovers to work & they gobbled it up! Thanks!
While this was a hit at the potluck the first time I made it, due to a time crunch the second time I used a can of pie filling on top in place of the jello/fruit mixture. My husband & I preferred it with just the pie filling on top, but it is good either way. I used a little less butter in the crust to avoid the overwhelming butter flavor. Great recipe!
Ok, I have no idea what happened. I followed the recipe exactly and my jello fell to the bottom. I did NOT have 3 pretty layers with my sald. I looked ok...but I know that isn't how it is supposed to look. With that being said....still DELICIOUS. Thanks for the post. (no idea what I did wrong though)
Excellent. i have made this probably 8 times by now. it works great. definitely chill between layers. i have also made it with Jello cook lemon pie filling instead of the strawberry layer. not lemon jello. just follow the box instructions. i use the 2 cups pretzels, 3/4 c butter and 1/2 c brown sugar. it is requested as a birthday cake! thanks for the recipe!!!
Fantastic! I used fresh strawberries and prepared the jello in the traditional way. I a springform pan to make it how it looks in the picture.
We all loved this as a little something sweet with our Easter dinner. I'm a pretzel freak and love anything with pretzels in it, and the sweet and with the pretzels was perfect. Remember to spray your 9X13 with some cooking spray, or you may have a tough time dishing out as the crust can stick. But trust me, get it out of the pan we did and yum! This could also easily be lightened up using low fat ingredients.
This is an easy recipe and tastes great! I am always asked for the recipe whenever I bring it to a gathering. I would suggest having the strawberries almost thawed before mixing them with the gelatin.
We all enjoyed the crust on this. It is sooo good and we will def be making this one again.
Oh this was sooo good and so easy to make! I made it for thanksgiving and it was a big hit! I will definately be making this again....thanks for sharing
I made this today for a pool potluck. The only thing I would say is make sure you have plenty of time! It took a lot longer than the prep time listed with the recipe, I had to make and cool each layer individually. All in all, not a lot of time, but a lot of time spent waiting for the layers to cool. Not a problem if you are putzing around the house anyway. That said, this was delicious and I had no less than 6 people ask for the recipe. The only changes I made were to replace the white sugar for brown sugar in the pretzel crust (mmm) and to add a little extra knox gelatin in with the jello to be sure it was extra firm.
Have been making this for years my family loves it. I use two boxes of jello and I use strawberry slices instead of whole strawberries. The secret to making it good is a crispy pretzel layer.
This is the BEST recipe for jello salad ever! My family always puts me in charge of making the jello salad every year for christmas and thanksgiving, and beleive me there has never been any leftovers with this dish. It's the best part of the meal! I swear if you make this dish you're gonna be making lots of people very happy and have them asking for more! *HINT* I use fresh strawberrys, it definitely makes a difference
Excellent! I would have given it 6 stars if I had that option. Even my brother, who hates pretzel salad, ate 2 pieces and took a third home with him. The cream cheese layer is amazing!
This recipe was great! I followed the recipe exactly except I added more pretzels for the crust. Next time I will use less sugar. Not too good the next day due to the soggy pretzels. Will make again for Memorial Day Cookout.
Sensationally Scrumptious Salad!! I made this for Memorial Day and have been "told" to make it again for the 4th, (which I will gladly oblige just to satisfy my own taste buds.) Thanks Tom and Judy
Mine did not turn out so great but I am still giving it 4 stars because I have had this when someone else made it and it was really good. My mistakes/changes: I added a little bit more pretzels because they didn't seem to cover my 9x13 dish. I should have crushed the pretzels much better. I also reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup. My beater isn't very good and I thought the cream cheese and sugar was well mixed but when I folded in the whip topping I realized there were a bunch of little chucks. There seemed to be an over powering taste of cream cheese ..... and I LOVE cream cheese and didn't know there was such thing as over kill of cream cheese. But I think it was purly because of the chunks.I used fat free cream cheese and lite whip topping. I let the jello/strawberry mixture sit for an hour before putting it on top of the cream cheese/whip topping layer. However when I pulled the jello out of the fridge it has already set so I had to dump jello chunks on top of the cream/whip topping. I still ate some of it and it was pretty good. My husband said it was better than he expected b/c he thought the ingredients sounded weird together. I will probably try again or maybe request my mom make it :)
very good - suggest using fresh firm strawberries sweetened with some sugar versus frozen
Winner! Here's some helpful tips. I thought this recipe didn't give enough of crust, so I actually doubled the crust because I wanted it a little thicker. It is a little hard to cut into, though, but that was expected. My crust did not stick to the pan at all. Also, make the crust the night before. When spreading the cream cheese layer on the crust, cover all of the crust so the jello doesn't seep through. Also make sure to let the cream cheese layer "set" in the fridge before adding the jello layer. When you dissolve all the jello, and then put the "frozen" strawberries in, the mixture will cool down itself, allowing you to pour directly on to the cream cheese layer without having to let it sit. Remember, do NOT thaw your frozen strawberries or else you will have to let the jello layer cool down in the fridge. I also doubled the jello layer and when pouring onto the cream cheese layer, I used a strainer to remove the fruit. I didn't want a chunky, fruity top, but just a gelatin layer. Yummy!
I frankly thought this was kinda of icky. Sorry....My husband came up to me and whispered..."I think you messed up on the crust - I think there is way too much salt in it. I explained that it was not supposed to be a graham cracker crust - But I felt like I needed to make an announcement that it was supposed to be salty....Try to picture yourself in that position and if you can imagine it - you will experience it - I am pretty sure - I liked the top layers - but no one had seconds and I washed a ot down the snk at cleanup time..no thanks!
Outstanding, and highly addictive, even for a self-professed chocoholic. I did find that I needed to use 2 cups of pretzels, possibly even more the next time. A definite favorite now...
Made this as low calorie as possible (lite cream cheese, lite cool whip, sugar free jello, and 1/2 cup of sugar instead of 1 cup). It turned out awesome. and hubby was none the wiser ;) I also baked the crust for 10 minutes as many suggested and it worked great!
Love this for summertime treat! I used fresh strawberries and so let the jello sit too long before I mixed with the berries. Still tasted great though, thanks for the recipe!
Big hit at potluck! Great make ahead dish. I did decrease sugar a bit, and let jello set some before adding. I made the night before and didn't have any to bring home.
Okay, for me to give anything five stars that has CREAM CHEESE in it is saying something! I despise cream cheese, sour cream, cheesecake, cottage cheese...generally most dairy products that smell and taste like cheese and/or sour. I wanted to try this for myself because everyone at work was gobbling it up so fast. I could barely taste the remnants of cream cheese! The whipped topping did a great job of covering up that sour taste, and I think because I added an additional 2 tsp. of vanilla extract also made for the taste being 'softer' on my palate. I actually doubled the recipe and made in spring form pans (the picture for the recipe looked so pretty!). I was surprised that the pretzel layer stayed so crunchy for two days...normally any 'crust' on the bottom of anything gets soft, which I usually prefer. The the crunch added nice dimension. I wouldn't call this a salad though, more like a layered dessert. I think next time I will add some vanilla and brown sugar to the pretzel crust. It was still lacking some flavor. And I think for presentation I would top with more fresh sliced strawberries. I would like to experiment and add REAL whipping cream rather than whipped topping and then adjust sugar and vanilla accordingly. I followed others advice and subbed some of the boiling water for the Jello with juice that had drained from the frozen strawberries. This actually helped it not to be too sweet. Overall, great tasting and looking dessert!
This dessert looks so pretty and tastes great! I compared this to the other pretzel salads on this site and chose this one because it had more cream cheese. I was using a 9x11 pan and wanted more guts. The recipe is perfect the way it is but I did add some clear vanilla (maybe a 1/2 tsp?) to the cream cheese before folding in the whipped topping. I used fresh strawberries and just sat them on top of the jello so each serving gets a strawberry. Since I did not mix in frozen strawberries I left the boiling water at 2 cups (some suggest to lower the water amount). I made sure all layers were cold/set before adding the next laye. Thank you for this recipe I loved it and to all the reviewers with their helpful tips!
OMG!!! This has to be one of the best tasting desserts I have ever made & it was so easy!!! I made this for my Husbands B-day BBQ, and let me tell you our guests were fighting over the last few pieces. No one could believe the crust was made from pretzels. Next time I think I may add a few more strawberries to the topping as with mine there were quite a few spots that were just gelatin, but it was FABULOUS!! Graet recipe Judy!!
I've made this several times now. It is always well received and requested. You can use different fruits and jellos to alter the flavors while still maintaining a quality dessert. I enjoy a raspberry jello with pineapple. I love it!!
What a fabulous combination of flavors! Cool and refreshing, this is a perfect summertime (or anytime) dessert. Thanks so much for sharing! :)
Just brought this to an Easter dinner with 30 people at it. People really liked it even with all my mess-ups/shortcuts -- I figure it'll be even better if I make it correctly! Main problem: I totally didn't leave enough time to make this!!! I had a fan blowing on the pretzel crust to help cool it faster, didn't refridgerate to set the "white" layer at all, dumped fresh strawberries on the white layer, then poured the jello on top and stuck it in the FREEZER for about 15 minutes before we had to leave. Jello was still runny when we left but I planned to put it in the freezer at our destination too, so covered it with cling wrap -- but apparently not tightly enough because on the way there, most of the jello sloshed onto the floor of my car! Oops! And yet, people STILL gobbled it up! (Don't know if it would have been quite as popular with frozen strawberries instead of fresh since there was hardly any jello left to coat the strawberries...)
Made this last night to bring into work and it turned out great! The crust was hard but it was able to be chisel it off. Other than that no problem. Next time I will cut back on the Jello. Received r
great flavor no matter what kind of jello/berries you use (I've made it as recipe directed and also with raspberrie jello & raspberries, even raspberries & lime jello) the only thing I don't like about this recipe it that on your plate when trying to scoop it up the layers kind of seperate. I've made it many times and can't figure out how to make it not do this. Still worth making even though it does this :)
After reading other reviews, I refrigerated the strawberry gelatin mixture for about 30 minutes before assembling the salad. Each layer spoke for itself. This was delicious!
This was a hit with my family. I made it for the fourth of July & there wasn't any leftovers. I will make it again! I did let the cream cheese harded before I put the jell-o on top. It did work better.
I decreased the butter to 1/2 cup in the crust; used only 3/4 cup sugar in the cream cheese part. It was fantastic!!!! Can't praise this enough! (I also let the jello set up a bit before spreading it on, so no soggy crust). FYI--it freezes well. I partially froze it, made slices in it and froze it the rest of the way. So far, it has been in my freezer for over a week, I just take a piece out and let it sit to defrost while I eat dinner. The crust is still perfectly crunchy!
This turned out well, and was definitely popular at my recent cookout. However, next time I make it, I am reducing the butter to one stick, and the sugar to 3/4 cup. The pretzel layer was so buttery and sugary, it was overpowering. My fiance said it tasted like cotton candy it was so sweet!
This recipe is fantastic! Other fruits I've tried so far include blueberry, raspberry and cranberry/raspberry. All are excellent! I double the crust because I like it so much. Be sure to grease your pan-it dishes out much easier that way. I also chill the jello/fruit mix for just a few minutes before pouring over cream cheese layer. That way it definitely won't seep through.
