Strawberry Pretzel Dessert is the ultimate summer dessert, especially when you're looking for something sweet to take to potlucks! This tasty treat consists of a sweet pretzel crust, topped by a creamy layer, and finished off with a layer of fresh strawberries set in strawberry jello.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease or parchment line a 9x13 baking dish.
Make the pretzel crust layer:
Stir together crushed pretzels, melted butter and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar. Mix well and press mixture into bottom of prepared 9x13-inch baking dish. Bake 8-10 minutes, until set. Set aside to cool.
Make creamy middle layer:
While the pretzel crust is cooling, make the cream layer filling. In a large mixing bowl cream together cream cheese and white sugar. Fold in the stabilized whipped cream. Spread mixture onto fully cooled crust. To avoid a soggy crust, just be sure the creamy layer reaches all edges of the pan. Set in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
Make the strawberry layer:
While the cream layer is chilling in the refrigerator, dissolve the strawberry Jello in boiling water. Allow cooling until the mixture is about the consistency of egg whites. Stir in sliced strawberries and spread over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until set.
Notes
Stabilized whipped cream is just homemade whipped cream with dissolved unflavored gelatin mixed in. It's easy to make and works wonderfully in this recipe.If you don't have unflavored gelatin, you have two options:
Use regular homemade whipped cream (without the gelatin). It just won't hold its shape as well.
Use Cool Whip instead of homemade stabilized whipped cream. I'm personally not a fan, but it's what other recipes use.