Strawberry Pretzel Salad

By polledl

For a faster fix, Grandma sometimes omitted the crust. She made the gelatin with the strawberries as the first layer and let it chill in the refrigerator for an hour. Then she spread the whipped topping mixture on top and chilled it until firm. For a change of taste, she would use grape or blackberry gelatin and frozen blueberries.
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Ingredients

• 2 cups coarsely crushed pretzels
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 8 ounces whipped topping
• 1 (6-ounce) package strawberry-flavored gelatin mix
• 1 (16-ounce) package frozen strawberries, thawed

Preparation

Step 1

1Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
.2Combine pretzels, butter and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a medium bowl and mix well. Press onto the bottom of a 13 × 9-inch baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes. Let stand to cool.
.3Prepare gelatin mix according to the package directions, using 11/2 cups boiling water and 1/2 cup cold water. Stir in undrained strawberries. Chill, covered, until partially set, about 45 minutes.
.4Combine remaining granulated sugar and cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer set at high speed until fluffy. Fold in whipped topping.
.5Spread the whipped topping mixture on top of the pretzel crust. Chill, covered, until set, about 10 minutes.
.6Spread the partially set gelatin on top of the whipped topping mixture. Chill, covered, until set, about 1 hour.