Shelly's Recipe

Frozen Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Category: Dessert Salads

Yield: About 12 servings

For the Crust:
1-1/2 cups of crushed pretzels
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, melted
For the Strawberry Salad:
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 (16 ounce) container of frozen sliced strawberries, thawed and undrained
1 (20 ounce) can of crushed pineapple, drained
1 (8 ounce) Cool Whip, thawed in the refrigerator
Additional Cool Whip or whipped cream, for garnish, optional
Strawberry fans or slices, for garnish, optional

For the crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the pretzels, sugar and melted butter, pressing into the bottom portion of a 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool completely.

For the strawberry salad, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until creamy. Mash the bananas with the lemon juice and beat in. Add the strawberries, with their juices and the drained pineapple; mix until blended. Fold in the tub of Cool Whip, pour over the top of the pretzel crust, cover tightly and freeze for 8 hours or overnight.

Let rest at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing into squares and plating. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and strawberry garnish if desired. May serve partially frozen, or allow to sit on individual plates for longer to soften.

Cook's Notes: May also be made in a large loaf pan, or spooned into individual cupcake papers in a muffin tin.