Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Old-fashioned Strawberry Pretzel Salad has mouthwatering layers of pretzel crust, filling of cream cheese mixture, topped with fresh strawberries in jello. This strawberry pretzel dessert is a perfect summer dessert!

Ingredients

Pretzel Crust
3 1/2 cups pretzels, crushed
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
Cream Cheese Filling
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
8 oz cool whip, or whipped cream (stiffly whipped)
Strawberry Jello Topping
1 lb fresh strawberries , hulled and sliced
2 cups boiling water
6 oz strawberry jello powder

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Set aside a 9×13 inch glass baking dish.
Place pretzels in a ziplock bag, seal and pound with a rolling pin to crush lightly.
In a medium bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar. Add in the crushed pretzels and mix to coat.
Press the pretzel mixture into the baking dish, and then bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
In a medium bowl, combine jello powder with boiling water. Stir slowly for one minute until dissolved and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy.
Using a large spatula, fold in the cool whip until evenly blended.
Once the baked pretzels are cool, spread the cream cheese mixture evenly on top until flat across the pan. Then chill for at least 30 minutes.
While chilling, you can rinse, hull and slice the strawberries.
Gently place the sliced strawberries onto the filling in a single layer. Add any remaining strawberries on top as a partial second layer.
Once the jello mixture is room temperature, dribble on top of the strawberries using the back of a spoon for even distribution.
Chill for at least two hours. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Your fridge shelf should be flat and level to ensure the jello layer sets evenly across the baking dish.