Its Summertime and that means its strawberry season! Isn’t that just “the berries”? One of our first fruits of the summer, those delicious bon bons of nature have enchanted us for centuries! Right here in the good ole USA they are grown in every state from sea to shining sea! And whatever recipe they are starring in is sure to be a favorite! Today’s Tasty Tuesday Recipe is Strawberry Pretzel Salad! Photo Credit and Huge Thanks to my dear friend Maribeth Schmidt who is even sweeter than today’s recipe (and that’s pretty sweet!). You can see more of her work and make any inquiries here: Maribeth Schmidt Photography.

This salad is almost synonymous with summertime potlucks! If you are one of the potluck warriors who make this incredibly delicious salad, you will probably get asked to bring it to every potluck for the rest of your life. Its that good! But never fear, its not that hard to make! You can do it! Here’s how.

What You Need:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 stick of butter

2 1/2 cups of crushed pretzels (put pretzels in a ziplock and crush with rolling pin)

1/4 cup of granulated sugar

1 6 oz box of Strawberry Jello

2 cups of boiling water

1 lb of fresh strawberries hulled and sliced

1 8 oz bar of cream cheese softened (I love Philadelphia Cream Cheese)

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1 8 oz tub of Cool Whip thawed

In a medium pan over medium heat, melt butter and add in the 1/2 cup of sugar. Add in the crushed pretzels and stir to coat them.

In a 9 x 13 pan, pour the pretzel mixture and gently press evenly in bottom of pan to form a crust base layer. Bake in oven at 350 for 10 minutes, and cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, add Jello and boiling water and mix until thoroughly dissolved.

Allow to cool to room temperature and add in the sliced strawberries. Chill in the refrigerator until partially set.

In a medium bowl, add softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup of sugar, and beat with a hand mixer until thoroughly mixed. Fold in the Cool Whip.

When pretzel crust is cool, spread the cream cheese mixture carefully and evenly all the way to the sides making a complete seal over the pretzel crust. Note: It helps to use an ice cream scoop and gently place the cream cheese mixture in several small clumps across the crust. The crust is a bit fragile so you want to spread the heavy cream cheese mixture gently. This is going to protect the pretzel crust from getting soggy so it is important to totally seal that top layer to the edges of the pan north, south, east and west. It is a labor of love!

Refrigerate the pan of crust/cream cheese for 30 minutes.

Now carefully pour and spread your partially set jello and strawberry mixture over the top of that cool creamy layer of cream cheese sugar goodness! Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and back in the refrigerator to chill until fully set, about 2-4 hours. Oh my goodness! I can hardly wait till its ready!

Like jewels in the crown of your potluck smorgasbord, your Strawberry Pretzel Salad will be a simply dazzling and delicious accent to your meal! When you combine the saltiness of the pretzels with the sweet sugar and cool cream cheese, and then balance it all off with the exquisitely tart and sweet strawberry layer, well, you have created a flavor masterpiece! As taken from a song by Cole Porter, “Its De-lightful! Its De-licious! Its De-lovely!”

It is technically classified as a salad, and salads are healthy, right? Which is why I have been known to stand right next to the pan and keep cutting another piece, and another, and another… its my favorite salad in the world! Some people call it a dessert. Hey, its a free country! What a beautiful thing!

There is something so beautiful about this dessert. The strawberries almost sparkle in the beautiful red Jello. Your family or friends will look at it and it will take their breath away! “You made this for me?” they will think… and then that first taste of sweet strawberries and cream, and it will bless them! It’s pretty cool to get to do that for people!

I hope you enjoy this delicious addition to your recipe repertoire! It would be a great add to your 4th of July celebrations this summer!

Have a great week! I’ll be back for Fashion Friday!

Love Always,

Amy

Life on this big blue marble is so much more beautiful because you are a part of it. I’m glad I get to share it with you!