This past weekend while I had husband’s out of state family visiting, we decided to have a dessert party at my house. One dessert I just had to make because I had a craving was Strawberry Pretzel Squares from Kraft. I love this recipe because it combines some of my favorite things including strawberries, cream cheese, pretzel crust and Jello.  It is so refreshing and hard to eat just one piece. (Just ask my brother- in- law and my nephew who had two pieces each, two nights in a row!)

The only downside to this recipe is that you do have to give yourself plenty of time. The gelatin needs a chance to thicken before adding the strawberries and 3 hours more for the entire dessert to set. Although I had given myself enough time according to the directions, the gelatin didn’t thicken enough in the 2 hours I let it sit (it should have been ready in 1 1/2 but my fridge was full). I got antsy because of guests arriving and put the strawberries in a before the gelatin was really ready. While the dessert still tasted wonderful, it wasn’t quite as firm as it should have been so keep that in mind.

Ingredients

Cream softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup of sugar and milk until well mixed. Stir in Cool Whip. I like to use Cool Whip Lite because I really can’t tell the difference and like to save the calories. Spread over cooled pretzel crust.

In large bowl add boiling water to gelatin and mix until dissolved, about 2 minutes. Add cold water and stir. Refrigerate until thickened, about 1 1/2 hours or until the gelatin starts to get firmer. (The picture below shows gelatin that is still a bit too thin).
Add strawberries to thickened gelatin and spoon over cream cheese layer. Chill additional 3 hours before serving.

This recipe can be found at Kraft Foods ^[1].