Summer is almost here and weekend gatherings with an abundance of flavorful seasonal food will be tempting us. No picnic would be complete without some Very Berry Pretzel Pecan Salad. This may be a little different from your normal Strawberry Pretzel Salad so often making appearances at family picnics, but who says you can’t change things up a bit? I altered the bottom crust by adding in some crushed pecans and offered up a different blend of fruit to help compliment them.
The assembly is simple. Boil 2 cups of water in the microwave then whisk in the raspberry Jello. Set this aside to cool while other preparations are made. Occasionally stir to avoid it jelling up too soon. In a large Ziploc bag, place the pretzels and pecans. Remove most of the air out of the bag. Crush them with a rolling pin by rolling over or hitting them.
Pour the crushed pretzels and pecans into a 13″ x 9″ x 2″ pan along with the sugar and melted butter. Mix thoroughly, spread across the bottom of the pan, and press down with a flat-bottomed cup or glass. Bake for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Place on cooling rack and cool completely before spreading cream on top.
With a hand mixer, blend together the cream cheese, Cool Whip, sugar and vanilla until creamy.
Spread over the top of the cooled bottom crust.
Place 3 cups of the frozen berries into the Jello and quickly pour over the cream mixture. Spread quickly as this sets quickly. An alternative would be to sprinkle the berries on to of the creamed mixture and then pour the Jello over them. Place this in the refrigerator for about 3-4 hours until set. This can be served by slicing it like a cake, or spooning it out. Either way, it’s fabulous!
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12 servings
- Jello Layer:
- 2 c. boiling water
- 6 oz. (8-serving) Raspberry Jello
- Bottom Crust:
- 3 c. mini pretzels
- 1 c, chopped pecans
- ¾ c.( 1 and a half sticks) butter, melted
- 3 T. granulated sugar
- Cream Layer:
- 8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed
- 8 oz, ⅓ fat Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 1 t. vanilla
- Fruit:
- 3 c. frozen mixed berries( wild blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
- Add Jello mix to boiling water. Stir and allow it to cool. Whisk occasionally while preparing the rest of the ingredients to prevent it from firming up to quickly.
- In a large Ziploc bag, place the pretzels and pecans; seal after removing the air out of the bag. Using a rolling pin, roll over bag to crush. You can also hit the contents to break up pieces.
- Place crushed contents in the bottom of a 13' x 9" x 2" pan along with the melted butter and sugar. Mix thoroughly and spread evenly across the bottom of the pan. Press layer down with a flat-bottomed measuring cup or other device.
- Bake for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Remove and allow to cool completely before putting on the next layer.
- Using a hand mixer, blend together the Cool Whip, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread this over the COOLED bottom crust.
- Add the frozen fruit to the Jello and quickly distribute and spread over cream layer. The frozen berries will quickly accelerate the jelling process! OR you can sprinkle the fruit over cream layer then pour the jello mixture over it.
- Refrigerate for 3-4 hours before serving.You can slice and serve it or scoop it out.
