Raspberry Pretzel Salad

My sister-in-law, Valerie, is the wonderful saint who introduced me to this salad. And, yes, I consider this a salad - a side dish. Some people consider it a dessert. But no, no, not me. I happily eat this right along with my main dish. FAB-U-LOUS!!!

This recipe takes some time to set up. So either make this the night before you'll need it or the morning of.

It is sweet and salty, crunchy and creamy. A truly fantastic recipe!!

Here's what you'll need:

Crust -
2 C. crushed small twisted pretzels (that's a little more than half a 1lb. bag)
3 T. sugar
3/4 C. melted butter

Combine and press into a 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 4 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE! Let cool.

While the crust is cooling, start on the second layer -
1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 C. sugar
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip, thawed

Cream these ingredients together until nice and smooth. Spread over the cooled crust, completely covering the crust. Leave NO holes or else you'll have a soggy crust.

Now for the third layer -
1 (6 oz) pkg. raspberry Jello
2 C. boiling water
1 1/2 (12 oz) bags frozen raspberries

Dissolve Jello in boiling water off of the heat. Add the frozen raspberries. Stir until Jello starts to set slightly (a couple of minutes). Then spread over cream cheese layer. Cover and refrigerate until completely set.

You can use strawberry Jello and the sliced frozen strawberries, or you can do raspberry Jello with huckleberries. They are all VERY good!! You have to try this if you have never had this before. And if you have, you'll just have to make it again!