I love desserts that are easy to prepare in the summer. Less time in the kitchen = more time outdoors.

This strawberry dessert is traditionally called Strawberry Pretzel Salad but I’ll call it dessert. It’s a classic in southern US cuisine and adults and kids will love it!

About the pretzel crust….it works…a wonderful balance of sweet and salty. I could eat it by itself.

If you want to serve this is a more stylish/formal way, build the dessert in individual glass sundae bowls. Bake the pretzel crust on a parchment-lined cookie sheet then break-up and spoon into each bowl.

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

For the crust

2 cups crushed pretzels (use your food processor to crush)

3/4 cup melted unsalted butter

3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

Filling

1 package (250gr.) of room temperature cream cheese

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup of whipped topping*

Topping

2 packages of Strawberry Jello

2 cups of boiling hot water

2 1/2 cups frozen sliced strawberries**

Optional garnish – dollops of whipped cream on top

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350F. To a bowl, add your pretzels, melted butter and sugar and mix until well incorporated. Empty into a 9 x 13″ Pyrex baking dish and press down to evenly cover the bottom. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
2. In a bowl, add your cream cheese and begin whipping with your hand mixer. Add a steady stream of sugar. Fold in your whipped cream.
3. Spread the cream cheese mixture over (spread over all edges) your cooled pretzel crust. Place in the fridge for an hour to cool.
4. Pour Jello packets into a large bowl, add hot water and stir until Jello is dissolved (do not add cold water as instructed on Jello package). Add the frozen strawberries and mix until you get the consistency of egg whites.
5. Pour/spread strawberry mixture over cream cheese layer, place back in the fridge to set for 4 hours. Slice and portion out, top with whipped cream if you like.

*Make your own stable whipped cream by adding 1/2 cup cold heavy cream and begin to whip. Gradually add 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp. powdered milk and  splash of vanilla extract.

** To use fresh strawberries, add hot water to Jello during step one and allow to cool to room temp. before adding fresh strawberries.