Name: Strawberry Pretzel Surprise
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 2 cups Pretzels, coarsely chopped; 3 Tbl. sugar; 1 stick butter, melted; 1 8 oz. pkg. Cream Cheese, softened; 1 cup sugar; 1 9oz. pkg. whipping cream; 1 6oz. pkg. strawberry jello; 2 1/2 cups water; 2 to 3 cups strawberries, halved

Strawberry Pretzel Surprise has been a long-time favorite recipe of mine. When I was a teenager, my great-aunt made it for a family get-together and I had to have the recipe. I have since made this recipe over and over for many family functions and picnics.

I think I have perfected this recipe and changed a few of the details on making the jello and placing the strawberries.

Strawberry Pretzel Surprise

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups Pretzels, coarsely chopped
3 Tbl. sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1 8 oz. pkg. Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 9oz. pkg. whipping cream
1 6oz. pkg. strawberry jello
2 1/2 cups water
2 to 3 cups strawberries, halved

Instructions

Crust: Chop pretzels and spread on bottom of 9 x 13 baking pan. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of sugar over pretzels. Pour melted butter over pretzel/sugar mix. Bake pretzel crust for 10 minutes at 400. Let cool completely before adding the next layer.
Cream Cheese Layer: Beat together cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar with an electric mixer, making sure to blend until smooth. Fold in whipping cream until well blended. Place on top of cooled pretzel crust making sure to seal along the edges of the baking pan.
Jello Layer: Pour jello into a glass mixing bowl and add 1 1/4 cup boiling water, stirring until dissolved. Add 1 1/4 cup ice-cold water to jello mix. Place in refrigerator until slightly set. Place halved strawberries on top of the cream cheese layer, spreading out evenly. Once the jello is slightly set, pour on top of the cream cheese layer and strawberries. Place in refrigerator for an hour or until ready to be served.

I like to place the strawberries on top of the cream cheese layer so that they are evenly spaced and all the outside pieces are facing up. This makes the dessert look better and this allows you to have fresh strawberries in every bite. You can use frozen strawberries in place of the fresh, just make sure to thaw and drain any of the juices before placing in the jello. I only make this recipe when I can get fresh strawberries as I think the frozen ones and too mushy and not as pretty as a fresh strawberry. You can pretty much find fresh strawberries year-round.

I always receive rave reviews of this Strawberry Pretzel Surprise dessert, so I am sure you will receive the same when you take it to your next family gathering.