25 Days of Christmas - Strawberry Pretzel Salad

I would like to go on record as saying that I think this dessert is great for summer. It's served cold and it has strawberries in it... that's really all it takes quite frankly. So why is this a Christmas-time dessert for our family?

Because it's red. My mother always made it at Christmas because it's red. *exasperated sigh*

This is a simple recipe but it has a few steps. You'll need the following ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of crushed pretzels

4 1/2 tblsp white sugar

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 cup white sugar

16 oz cream cheese

1 envelope of dream whip, prepared as directed

6 oz package of strawberry jello

2 cups boiling water

16 oz frozen strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Crush up some pretzels to make 1 1/2 cups. You can choose any method you like, I myself am a fan of putting them in a plastic bag and beating the crap out of them with a rolling pin, but that's just me.

 Pour the crushed pretzels into a bowl and add the 4 1/2 tblsp of sugar...

And then mix in the melted butter.

Once it's mixed well, pour it into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan and press it down firmly.

Spread it evenly on the pan and bake it for 10 minutes.  Once you're done with that step, let it cool completely before moving on.

Once it's cooled, prepare your Dream Whip...

And in a different mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and cup of sugar together until they're well blended.  I let the cream cheese soften a bit because it makes for a better texture in the finished product.

Fold in the dream whip...

This stuff is amazing all by itself.  I'm going to make something where this is the main ingredient.  It will be my legacy to the world.

Pour it on top of your cooled pretzel concoction and spread it around.

Put it in the fridge to set up a bit... leave it in there for about a half an hour or so.

After some time has passed, boil your 2 cups of water.

Add your jello and turn off the heat, mixing it until it's dissolved...

Add the frozen strawberries and mix them in...

Once they're mixed in, let them sit for a few minutes until the mixture is cool.  We have to spoon this on top of the cream cheese mixture and if it's hot, the mixture with separate and look sad.  Once it's cool, take your pan out of the refrigerator and spoon the jello and strawberries over the top.

Let this chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour or until the jello is set.

I may or may not have eaten this piece. But I definitely did.  It was yummy.  Enjoy your summer in December dessert!