READY IN 30 mins

Pretzel Dessert

Read Reviews (56)

"This is a festive, crunchy, and fruity dessert. The pretzels in this recipe provide a crust for the filling of gelatin and pineapple." — chris

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, combine crushed pretzels, melted margarine, and 1/4 cup sugar. Press mixture into a 9x13 inch baking pan.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool.
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, frozen whipped topping, and 1 cup sugar. Pour over pretzel crust.
In a large saucepan, combine boiling water and strawberry-flavored gelatin; bring to a boil. Stir in frozen strawberries. When it begins to thicken, pour over cream cheese filling. Serve.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 20 mins
COOK 10 mins
READY IN 30 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Nov 21, 2006

There IS a trick to this recipe! When you spread the cream cheese/Cool Whip layer, you need to "seal off" the pretzel layer. In other words, you need to spread it on carefully and make NO corners or edges are left out where the jello layer can seep in. If your pretzels turned out soggy (mine did the first time i did this recipe), you didn't spread the cream cheese/Cool Whip on properly. When it comes out right (with crunchy pretzels), this recipe is delicious!

—LMWELCH

See full review »

Most Helpful Critical Review

Jul 14, 2003

I have a friend that makes this (her own recipe) and this one turned out nothing like hers. She said to cut the water back to 1 cup boiling water. She said there was too much water. I stirred it on the stove(water,strawberries&jello) for 20 min and it just wouldn't thicken. I poured it on top of the pretzels & cheese and it leaked underneath the dessert and made the pretzels soggy. None of the jello stayed on top. When my friend makes it it looks like a perfect casserole with the jello nice and neat on top.

—KRISTYLEE3

See full review »

69 Ratings

See other versions of this recipe!

Dec 02, 2004

YEAH! My family has been using this recipe for years. I lost my copy and was SO happy to find it. One tip -- if you buy the larger container of whipped topping, you can spread that on top of the strawberries for and extra layer. AND if you're feeling even more adventerous slice fresh strawberries on top. NOTES: 1. cut the water back to 1 cup -- the frozen strawberries will add the extra water. Otherwise your gelitan will be too soft. 2. make sure you seal pretzel crust with the cream cheese / whipped topping layer. Otherwise the liquid will seep into the pretzel layer and make it soggy.

—producergirl

See full review »

Jun 21, 2008

I make this dessert all the time and everyone always loves it. I do the jello/frozen fruit layer differently however....I pour the package of jello into a bowl and add 1 cup of boiling water to it. Then I use the quick set method on the side of the jello box by adding 1 1/2 cups of ice water to the jello and refridgerate for about 20 minutes then I add the frozen strawberries/raspberries. I wait until the jello is half set before pouring it over the well-sealed cream cheese mixture. I hope this helps some of you - I've never had my pretzel layer get soggy this way.

—gabsmom

See full review »

Jul 05, 2010

Im only giving this recipe 4 stars since the recipe itself isnt all that accurate. Ive made a different version of this...The final product itself though (when done right) is awesome! I just think that there are some mistakes on the directions themselves. ******These are the changes I made: 1 cup melted butter rather than margarine 1 1/2 packages (16oz) frozen whole strawberries, thawed 1 plus 1 partial (6oz) package strawberry gelatin I started the jello right away since I knew that it would need to PARTIALLY Set in the refridgerator while I prepared the rest of the ingredients. I did use the 2 cups of boiling water, but I also added about 1/4 of the 2nd package of jello to ensure it sets correctly. Once I added the strawberries (which were mostly thawed, I used a potato masher to crush them a bit). I transfered the entire saucepan of jello into the fridge and began the next steps. It is also very important to complete the baking process as well as sealing off the entire layer of pretzels to prevent the jello from seeping into the pretzel. HOWEVER, the seeping wont be much of an issue if the jello is partially set (like jelly/jam texture almost) and the cream cheese layer is well chilled after you layer it. Pour jello over cream cheese layer and chill at least a few more hours to set properly. The directions make it seem like this is a fast, quick step process. But each step takes time in between for setting, chilling and setting!

—miss_whisk

See full review »

Sep 07, 2010

THIS IS SO GOOD, i DO COOL EACH LAYER AND COMPLETLY COVER PETZELS WITH CREAM CHEESE LAYER TO SEAL AN PROTECT PRETZELS FROM GETTING SOGGY. ALSO I BOIL WATER FOR GELATIN (OR FRUIT JUICE) THEN REMOVE FROM HEAT, STIR IN FROZEN FRUIT AND REFRIGERATE FOR 30-60 MINS, TIL IT STARTS TO FORM OR SET, THEN POUR OVER CREAM CHEESE LAYER.. NEVER HAS IT EVER FAILED. I ALSO HAVE USED CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM OR COCOA TO WHIPPED CREAM TO MAKE IT MORE A CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRY FUN THING. aLWAYS TAKE A CLEAN PAN HOME... NEVER ANY LEFT OVERS. SSSOOOOOOO GGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOODDDDDD THANKS FOR RECIPE

—GAMMA KATSY

See full review »

May 18, 2010

My middle daughter requests this dessert instead of a cake on her birthday. The key to making this dessert turn out great is to be sure and seal the cream cheese/whipped topping layer around the edges so the cooled Jello won't seep into the pretzel layer below. The sweet/salty crust is a nice compliment to the other layers. This is a winner with my family.

—Matlyn

See full review »

Oct 08, 2008

This recipe is FANTASTIC!! I have been making this very recipe for 10 years, only I make mine with Raspberries instead of Strawberries. I think it adds a nice tartness to the dish. I am definently going to try the strawberries next time, and I recommend that you try it with the raspberries! YUM!

—Katie

See full review »

Edit

Glad you liked it! Your friends will, too:

Did you tweak the recipe? Edit and save your own version of it!

Edit this recipe

More Recipes Like This See all

Crispy Pretzel Apple Dessert

Pretzel Salad

Judy's Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Strawberry Pretzel Pie

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Pretzel Salad II

Tiramisu Toffee Dessert

Strawberry Delight Dessert Salad

Mari's Dessert Pie

Nutrition

Calories
468 kcal
23%

Carbohydrates
52.7 g
17%

Cholesterol
22 mg
7%

Fat
28.7 g
44%

Fiber
1 g
4%

Protein
3.7 g
7%

Sodium
331 mg
13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Pretzel Dessert

Serving Size: 1/11 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 11
Amount Per Serving
** Calories: 468
** Calories from Fat: 258

% Daily Value *
** Total Fat 28.7g 44 %
** Saturated Fat 11.8g 59 %
** Cholesterol 22mg 7 %
** Sodium 331mg 13 %
** Potassium 88mg 2 %
** Total Carbohydrates 52.7g 17 %
** Dietary Fiber 1g 4 %
** Protein 3.7g 7 %
** Sugars 50.4g
** Vitamin A 21 %
** Vitamin C 34 %
** Calcium 4 %
** Iron 5 %
** Thiamin 2 %
** Niacin 4 %
** Vitamin B6 2 %
** Magnesium 2 %
** Folate 3 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.