Strawberry Pretzel Salad/ Dessert

This recipe is most often categorized as a dessert. In my experience it is most often served as a salad or side dish. This recipe has been adapted from Bobbi Coppola's recipe in the 1995 Dowling High School cookbook.

Number of Portions:

16

Quantity	Unit	Ingredient
2	cups	pretzels	coarsely crushed
0.25	cup	butter	melted
3	Tablespoons	sugar
8	ounces	neufchatel or cream cheese	softened
10	ounces	frozen whipped topping	thawed
6	ounces	strawberry gelatin powder
1.5	cups	water	boiling
20	ounces	frozen strawberries	chopped

First Layer: Mix together pretzels, butter and sugar. Coat a 13 x 9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pat pretzel mixture into the bottom of the dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Second Layer: In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Fold in thawed whipped topping. Spread mixture over cooled crust .

Third Layer: In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in frozen strawberries. Let stand for 10 minutes, then pour over the second layer. Chill 2 - 4 hours before serving.