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
Directions
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.
I’ve made these before and they are great! I bet the family loved it too despite it not being fully solidified.
this is one of my favorite things we have at thanksgiving every year! love it!
What a great idea for strawberries in dessert. I also love the use of pretzel with cream cheese, there’s definitely a good balance with the saltiness and sweetness in this treat. Thank you!
This simple and sounds really delicious, its look nice , the ingredients are easy to find.
The best way to solidify Jell-O quickly is to use ice cubes in place of the cold water. Put the dissolved gelatin into a 4 cup measure. Add enough ice to make 3 1/2 cups. It’s ok that is slightly more than 2 cups dissolved gelatin mixture; everything will turn out fine, and it will thicken much faster. Keep an eye on it!