Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Here's a yummy, easy, festive-looking Christmas side dish, courtesy Paula Deen from Food Network! I took it to my office Christmas party today, and everyone loved it! The saltiness of the pretzel crust, mixed with the melt-in-your-mouth cream cheese/Cool Whip mixture, plus the sweetness of the strawberry mixture, is delicious!


Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
See this recipe on air Sunday Dec. 17 at 7:00 AM ET/PT.
Show:
Paula's Home Cooking
Episode:
Christmas

Ingredients
2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar, plus 3/4 cup sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 (8-ounce) container whipped topping
2 (3-ounce) packages strawberry gelatin dessert mix
2 cups boiling water
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen strawberries
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple
Whipped topping or whipped cream, to garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. For the crust, mix the pretzels, butter, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Press this mixture into a 9 by 13-inch pan and bake for 7 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool. In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and 3/4 cup of sugar. Fold in the whipped topping, and spread over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until well chilled. In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, and allow to cool slightly. Add the strawberries and pineapple, and pour over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until serving time. To serve, cut slices and serve with a dollop of whipped topping.

Next party, I'm bringing stuffed mushrooms, which are lots of fun. I'll post on that next week when I decide what recipe I'm going to use.