Count Down to Christmas Day 1 - Pretzel Jello Salad

Here's to the kick of to my count down to Christmas series!! ... I've decoded to start this off with a family favorite.  This pretzel jello salad is something that is at every big family dinner or holiday meal.  It's a definite crowd pleaser!!

Now - the pictures that are included in this blog are pictures of the salad I made for Thanksgiving.  I had split the recipe in half because I was going to two different houses and wanted to be able to bring something to both places.

Ingredients

6 oz package Raspberry Jell-O

2 cups boiling water

2 cups pretzels

1/4 cup sugar

1 stick butter

1 (8oz) package cream cheese – softened

1 (8oz) package Cool Whip – thawed

1 cup sugar

1 container frozen raspberries – thawed in refrigerator

Directions

1 - Pre-heat oven to 350°F;

2 - Combine 6 Oz packet of Jell-O with 2 cups of boiling water and set aside to cool to room temperature;

3 - Crush 2 cups of pretzels in a ziploc bag, using a rolling pin;

4 - Melt 1 stick of butter than add 1/4 cup sugar in saucepan. Add pretzels and mix together;

5 - Lightly press pretzel mix into a 13×9 -inch pyrex dish and bake for 10 minutes at 350°F, then cool to room temperature;

6 - While pretzel mix is cooling down, beat 8 oz of cream cheese and 1 cup sugar on medium/low speed until well-combined;

7 - Next, stir in Cool Whip using a spatula and mix until well combined;

8 - Spread mixture over cooled pretzels and go all the way to the edges of the dish to create a seal. You don’t want the jello to leak into the pretzels. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. To be honest I usually let this sit over night to ensure that the mixture is completely set and ready for the jello;

It's very important to make sure that you get the cool whip mixture all the way to the edge of the dish and seal it off.  Otherwise the jello gets down to the pretzels and it makes a mush mess ... and no one's got time for that!! lol

9 - Next it's time to combine the fruit (I used strawberries) and your jello.  I bought the strawberries the night before and just placed them in the refrigerator to thaw out so they were ready when I went to finish the salad.  Here's the important thing, you make your jello with HALF the amount of water that the recipe calls for.  This is important because you want your jello to be a little more congealed.  This is so that the jello holds it shape better when you are cutting the salad.  Otherwise you have a slippery jello mess... After you make the jello, let it sit for a bit.  Wait to combine your jello and strawberries until the jello is room temperature.  I don't drain the strawberries because it adds extra flavor to the jello mix;

10 - Pour Jell-O over raspberries and refrigerate until jello is set

And just like that ... you're finished.  Like I said before, this is a dish that is a big family favorite and usually doesn't last long at our family dinners.  It sure didn't last long at the Thanksgiving dinners that I brought it to this year!!

ENJOY!!!!