We all have dishes from our childhood that we look back on fondly—sometimes to the bafflement of those around us. For me, that dish is a Jell-O salad. For the uninitiated, Jell-O salads are an American classic. Flavored gelatin is mixed with everything from canned fruit to frozen peas, whipped cream to cottage cheese, and toasted nuts to salty pretzels. The final mix is poured into elaborate molds or layered into bars and served at family gatherings, holiday parties, and summer picnics as a main, side, or of course, dessert. One Jell-O salad in particular lingers in my memory: strawberry pretzel salad. Layers of salty pretzels, tangy cream cheese, and sweet strawberry Jell-O are combined into sliceable bars, this is the dessert I sought out on all the potluck tables. For this pie, I wanted to maintain the spirit of the strawberry pretzel salad but swap out the artificial strawberry flavor with juicy spring strawberries. The final result is a buttery and salty pretzel crumb crust, filled with both cooked and fresh strawberries and topped with an airy whipped cream cheese topping. Strawberry pretzel salad: all grown up.
A Celebration of Strawberries
Strawberries are one of those fruits that I wait all year for. With a short growing window of late spring and early summer, I plan most of my spring baking around celebrating this favorite fruit. Because fresh spring strawberries are incredibly flavorful and juicy on their own, I like to have as many fresh berries in my pie as possible. For the filling, a small amount of the berries get mashed and quickly cooked with a bit of cornstarch until just thickened into a jam that can hold everything together, before folding in heaps of sliced fresh berries. I like to let the flavor of the fresh strawberries shine, so keep the seasonings simple: sugar, lemon, and a bit of orange zest. That being said, every batch of berries is a little different, so I recommend tasting and adjusting your jam as it cooks to balance out the sweetness of your specific berries.
Whipped Cream Cheese Makes This Topping Special
Instead of layering sweetened cream cheese into my pie (as is done in the original salad inspiration), I prefer to add a light and tangy whipped cream cheese topping. The topping is simple to make and has the bonus of being more stable than classic whipped cream. A few things to keep in mind when making your whipped topping:
Use room temperature cream cheese: Much like butter, cream cheese aerates better when it’s softened at room temperature, resulting in a smoother and lighter topping.Use chilled cream: Conversely, cream aerates more easily when it’s cold. Keep your heavy cream in the fridge until you’re ready to whip. Go slow: Once you’ve added the heavy cream, make sure you turn your mixer speed to slow and keep an eye on what’s going on. It’s easy to over whip when using an electric mixer.
Know your peaks: We use the word “peaks” to describe how thick a mixture is when it’s being whipped. For this topping I like to whip to a stiff peak—meaning it completely holds its shape when I lift my whisk out of the bowl.
Storing Strawberry Pretzel Pie
This pie is best served immediately after assembling, though it will hold covered in the fridge for up to 1 day—after that the crust will get a bit soggy. If making ahead, I recommend storing the whipped topping in a separate airtight container and adding it to the pie right before you serve.
More Strawberry Desserts to Make this Spring
Fresh Strawberry Pie Strawberry Shortcake Old Fashioned Strawberry Cake Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Strawberry Mascarpone Tart
1 cup (115g) pretzel crumbs (from about 2 cups of mini pretzels) 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the strawberry filling
2 pounds strawberries, hulled and quartered, divided 4 tablespoons (50g) granulated sugar, plus more to taste 3 tablespoons (30g) cornstarch 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste 2 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
For the whipped cream cheese topping
4 ounces (113g) full fat cream cheese, room temperature 1/3 cup (40g) powdered sugar 1 cup cold heavy cream 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Pinch of salt
For garnishing
Crushed mini pretzels
Cook the mixture over medium heat, using a spoon to continue to break apart the strawberries against the side of the pan, until it comes to a boil. Taste and season with more sugar or lemon juice, if needed (careful, it will be hot). Continue to cook, stirring regularly, for 3 to 4 minutes until the liquid has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and let the strawberry filling cool for 5 minutes, then carefully fold in the remaining sliced strawberries. Let the filling cool completely, then cover with plastic and chill in the fridge until set, about 2 hours. Turn the mixer speed to low and slowly stream in the heavy cream, followed by the vanilla and salt. Whip until the mixture thickens and forms stiff peaks (it stands on its own when you remove the whisk). Sprinkle crushed pretzels over the whipped cream cheese topping. This pie is best served immediately after assembling, though it will hold covered in the fridge for up to 1 day—after that the crust will get a bit soggy. Did you love this recipe? Give us some stars below!
