Oh my word! This is by far the best dessert recipe I have ever had! It’s better than chocolate chip cookies, better than chocolate cake, and I dare say, it’s better than butter pecan ice cream. Yep, I went there. Ice cream is my kryptonite but I would kick it to the curb if I had to choose between it and this strawberry dessert.
I will admit though, it’s a pain in the derriere to make, which is probably why I still have ice cream in my freezer. I’m a lazy cook, remember? Putting my laziness aside, this is totally worth making, I kid you not. This dessert is a tradition for our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners every year.
I suppose you could make this with a different type of fruit and jello, but why mess with perfection?
Ingredients
- 2 cups crushed pretzels
- 3/4 cup butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups whipped topping
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 packages (3 ounces each) strawberry gelatin
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 packages (16 ounces each) frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed (You can use fresh strawberries, if you wish, but the cooldown will take longer.)
Preparation
- In a bowl, combine the pretzels, butter and sugar. Press into an ungreased 13×9-in. baking dish.
- Bake at 350° for 10 – 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. You will want to completely cool this. Once the glass is cool to the touch, I place it in my refrigerator for a couple of hours. It will make it easier to spread the cream filling.
- Speaking of filling, in a small bowl, beat whipped topping, cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Spread over pretzel crust. Please spread the cream filling to every edge of the baking dish. You don’t want the jello leaking down the side. You want this to look like it came from Martha Stewart and not from me. (I learned the hard way….a few times).
- Refrigerate until chilled. I would give it another couple of hours. You could even cover it and place it in your refrigerator overnight and finish the desert the next day. (That is usually how I do it because by this time, I’m completely frustrated that I can’t eat the dessert yet).
- For topping, dissolve gelatin in boiling water in a large bowl. Stir in strawberries; chill until partially set. Carefully spoon over filling. If you see jello seeping down the sides between the filling and crust, slap your hand and learn your lesson by reviewing step 2. Chill until firm, 4-6 hours.
- Cut into squares and add additional whipped cream on top when serving.
Ready in 2 days, at least for me, as explained earlier. And this is why I don’t make this dessert but twice a year. The wait is a killer for me.
Serves a good sized family. We have 11 that gather for the holidays and there is plenty for them, even seconds. It just depends on how big you cut the squares.
Calories if you are eating this for the holidays then you already blew by your calorie count, so dig in and enjoy!
Yum-Yum for the Tum-Tum!
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