Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

• ### For the Pretzel Crust
• 2 1/2 cups salted pretzels (measured before crushing)
• 1 stick unsalted butter (8 tablespoons)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• ### For the Cream Cheese Layer
• 8 oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 oz package cool whip, thawed
• ### For the Jell-O Topping
• 6 oz strawberry Jell-O (2 small packages or 1 large)
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch (23x33 cm) glass baking dish.

2. 2

   Combine the Jell-O with 2 cups (480 ml) of boiling water, stir, and set aside. Allow this to cool to room temperature.

3. 3

   Crush the pretzels. You can do this in a food processor, or I prefer doing it in a large resealable bag with a rolling pin. Melt one stick of butter (227 g) in a medium-sized pan, then stir in the sugar, followed by the crushed pretzels. Press the crust into the prepared dish evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 9–10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

4. 4

   Beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in 1 cup (200 g) of sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Fold in 1/3 of the Cool Whip very gently with a spatula. Then fold in the remaining Cool Whip with a rubber spatula; do not overmix. Spread the mixture over the cooled pretzel crust. Make sure to spread all the way to the edge, because if your Jell-O leaks, it will make the pretzel crust soggy.

5. 5

   Stir the sliced strawberries into the cooled Jell-O mixture set aside in step 2. Pour this over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until firm for at least 4 hours.