My grandmother always made this whipped strawberry jello and cool whip salad for special occasions. For many growing up, the salad was the classic Strawberry Pretzel Salad. When I saw this version I thought it was so cute I wanted to give it a try.

It is salty, sweet, creamy, and refreshing all in one bite. Served in little jars it makes this a great dish to bring to picnics or the beach. I am thinking of making a trip to the Hollywood Bowl just so I can bring these along.

This is my favorite tool for forming the crusts. I also use it to form mini pies in mini muffin tins.

This little funnel is also a handy tool in the kitchen. You can fill the jars without a mess. I used mascarpone cheese but you could easily substitute cream cheese. You can easily lighten this dish by making it with light butter spread, sugar-free Jello, and reduced-fat cream cheese.

What was your family go-to salad at family dinners? Leave a comment below. Are you on Pinterest? Follow me and see what I am making not only here but for Betty Crocker and Pillsbury.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad adapted from My Baking Addiction

Author: Cheri
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Category: Cake
Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 1/2 cups salted pretzels (crushed)
4 tablespoons sugar
10 tablespoons butter (melted)
1 cup sugar
16 ounces cream cheese
8 ounce package Cool Whipped topping (thawed)
6 ounce strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
16 ounces sliced strawberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the pretzel crumbs, 4 tablespoons sugar and melted butter in a mixing bowl. Stir with a fork until the butter is fully incorporated into the pretzel crumbs.
Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of pretzel crust into the bottom of each of your jars. Press the crumbs gently into the bottom of the jars.
Place the jars onto a baking sheet. Bake for about 6 minutes. Allow the jars and crust to cool completely before layering in the filling.
Beat the sugar, cream cheese and vanilla in a bowl until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon filling into a piping bag with a round tip or simply snip the tip of the bag. Divide the filling between each jar. Place the jars into the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
Stir together the gelatin mix and boiling water in a medium size bowl. Stir in strawberries. Place the bowl into the refrigerator for about ten minutes. This will allow the gelatin to firm up a bit. Evenly spoon the gelatin between each the jars. Place jars back into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Serve chilled. Top with Cool Whip and fresh strawberries.

Keywords: cupcakes