This raspberry pretzel jello is a classic. It’s all about a salty-sweet pretzel crust + fluffy cream layer + raspberry laden jello. Yum!
Today’s classic recipe is dedicated to my husband, Brian. This is one of his favorite side dish-dessert-salad-whatever you’d call it recipes of all time.
I figure at this point, everyone who loves this recipe has their go-to version already. And everyone else has either never heard of it or thinks it is a travesty.
So, today’s post is honestly a selfish gesture in order to put a placeholder on this blog (which will always be my go-to “cookbook”) for Brian’s tried-and-true favorite.
My Version is a Wee Bit Different
I’ve made a few changes to the wildly popular original recipe to make it more our style. But otherwise, it’s pretty much what you’ve come to expect from this iconic recipe.
The biggest change is that I swap out the cool whip and granulated sugar in the cream layer for heavy cream and powdered sugar.
I’m certainly not doing this for healthy-eating reasons. Ha! That’s funny. These small changes create a cream layer with a flavor and consistency that is ultra-delicious and a little bit more my style.
Pretzel Crust
This salad-y dessert starts with a pretzel crust. A buttery, lightly sweet pretzel crust.
It actually might be my favorite part of the entire thing.
After mixing the pretzels, butter and brown sugar together in a bowl, I like to press the mixture into the pan with the bottom of a measuring cup to lightly compress it into an even layer.
This delightful crust gets baked for a couple minutes before assembling the rest of the recipe.
The Assembly
After the crust has cooled, the cream layer is spread over the top.
The key here is to spread the cream layer all the way to the edges sealing off the pan really well so the jello layer doesn’t leak down the sides and get the pretzel crust all soggy. Ew.
You can a) refrigerate at this point to firm up the cream layer…or you can b) throw caution to the wind and spread the jello + raspberry mixture over the top.
I’m lazy. I always go for B.
As with all good jellos, let the assembled dish set up in the refrigerator before serving.
This dessert can be made a day ahead of time. Just keep in mind that the pretzels will soften the longer it is in the refrigerator. Not a deal breaker (they don’t get full on soggy if it’s just a day ahead of time), but something to think about.
Are you a fan of this classic raspberry pretzel jello? Is it something you grew up eating?
To be honest, I always have a bit of an inner struggle knowing where to place this in a meal lineup. Does it get served with dinner? I mean, a lot of people call it a salad, so…
Or should it appear as dessert?
Instead of inciting a heated debate, may I suggest that if you really want to live life to its fullest, consider serving it as a side dish with dinner so you can have a dessert, too.
In closing, I’d like to give a special thanks to my friend, Jamie, Ultimate Jello Connoisseur, who also helped convince me this recipe deserved a spot on the blog (and who consulted on several other jello recipes, as well). 🙂
Recipe Source: adapted from the many other versions of this recipe online (I think it’s originally from a cookbook published in the 1960’s called The Joys of Jello)
