Red, White, and Blue Pretzel Dessert

Texans really know how to do hospitality! I recently went to Denton, TX to do a workshop for their school district. When we broke for lunch, the curriculum coordinators hosted a lovely luncheon for a small group of us in their conference room. While the rest of the group had lunch on paper plates and plastic utensils, at the head of the table they put out a place setting for me with a lovely linen placemat, napkin, china, and flatware. How nice to be treated so special. But the highlight of their luncheon was waht they called "Strawberry Pretzel Salad." Not only was it lovely to look at, but it was delicious. I had to have a second helping. The combination of sweet and salty was perfect. Kathy Morrison, the Science Coordinator for Denton, sent me the recipe. I decided to modify it to make a "Patriotic Dessert" for the Fourth of July. I think you can adapt this recipe for a variety of seasonal fruits and change the Jello flavor accordingly. I cut back on the butter and sugar a bit and also added walnuts to the base. You can skip these if nut allergies are an issue. My son, Chris, who is not a big dessert eater, devoured this!

Red,White, and Blue Pretzel Dessert

2 cups small pretzels broken up into tiny pieces

3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 butter at room temperature

2 cups of boiling water

1 package (6 oz.)  strawberry flavored gelatin

8 oz. cream cheese or mascarpone, at room temperature

1/2 cup of sugar

1 cup of whipped topping

2 heaping cups sliced strawberries, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 cup blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 400° F/

2. Combine crushed pretzels and walnuts with 3 T of the sugar and butter. With a spatula, press pretzel mixture into the bottom of 9 x 13 inch baking pan to form a crust. Bake 6 to 10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely.

3. Pour 2 cups of boiling water over strawberry gelatin. Stir until melted and let cool until it just barely begins to gel.

4. Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and whipped topping until combined. Spread evenly over cooled crust.

5. Add strawberries to cooled gelatin, stir and let thicken slightly (make sure it is not runny). Once it is slightly thickened and cooled, spread strawberry gelatin over the cream cheese layer. Dot the top with blueberries.  Refrigerate until firm.

6. Cut into squares to serve.