pretzel jello

Okay, hold it right there, non-believers. “Pretzel jello?!? That’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard.”

Guess what, Sheila? You’re wrong. It’s delicious.

This is a year-round dish. It’s camp food, it’s a Thanksgiving staple, random Tuesday night when I’m in the mood…

It fit right in with the the 45 pounds of turkey, mashed potatoes piled high, green bean casserole, stuffing with and without mushrooms, dinner rolls, corn, etc. This was post chicken wing dip and cheese platter, pre- Aunt Sue’s chocolate pie and Jamie’s cheesecake. Best. Holiday. Ever.

Pretzel Jello

3 cups pretzels, lightly crushed

1 stick melted butter

2-3 tbs sugar

1 brick cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups cool whip

1 large box strawberry Jell-O

1 container frozen strawberries

Pour two cups boiling water into Jell-O powder. Stir, and add in strawberries. If they’re still completely frozen, break up with a wooden spoon. Refrigerate for about an hour or until gloppy. This is professional culinary speak.

Break up the pretzels, and mix with melted butter and sugar. Press into the bottom of a glass dish, and bake at 400 degrees for 7 or 8 minutes.

Mix softened cream cheese with sugar, then cool whip. Spread on top of the warm (not hot) pretzel crust.

Refrigerate. Once the Jell-O is sufficiently gloppy (not liquid, but not solidified) pour on top and refrigerate until solid, about another hour or two.

Cut and serve.

A few notes- the Jell-O package calls for more water, but make sure you only add 2 cups, the strawberries add some extra liquid. Also, I added less butter than it called for, and received some complaints (ahem, DAD) that the pretzels were sticking to the bottom of the pan. It was a semi-sticky situation easily handled by Body Pumping muscles. Or you could always grease the pan first. And when I ate it for breakfast on Friday the pretzels weren’t soggy, and usually on Day 2 they kind of are. Yum.

This is one of those things that I know no one is going to make. But someday, maybe years from now, you’ll be at a family reunion or a 4th of July barbecue and someone will present you with pretzel jello and you’ll eat it and love it. And then you’ll say to yourself, “Erin was right.”