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Strawberry Pretzel Stacks

Strawberry Pretzel Stacks are the reinvention of Strawberry Jello Pretzel Salad! Take out the cream cheese and the jello and make these tiny bites with a crispy pretzel crust, creamy chocolate ganache, and fresh strawberries and mint!

Take out the cream cheese and the jello and make these tiny bites with a crispy pretzel crust, creamy chocolate ganache, and fresh strawberries and mint! Strawberry Pretzel Stacks Recipe | Take Two Tapas | #Strawberry #Pretzel #Stacks #Jello #Salad

STRAWBERRY PRETZEL SALAD

I have to get something off my chest, so I will just come out and ask it. What is the fascination with suspending food in gelatin?

Does it make your mouth water to watch it wiggle, jiggle and suspend like a NASA astronaut? Quite frankly, it reminds me of head cheese.

I understand it’s importance with respect to gastronomy, but just adding color and food to it and molding it to look like a bizarre snow globe filled with edible chunks, doesn’t seem right to me.

Subsequently inspiring a line of molds for housewives to display in their kitchen and dining room walls, is just as strange. Does anyone else feel this way?

Regardless of my opinion on gelatin, it is a staple for most households and church picnics. One of my church congregation’s favorite menu items is congealed gelatin salad.

At least one version of this dish shows up at every potluck that we have, and multiple pages of our church’s cookbooks are dedicated to gelatin dishes as well.

I am not sure who invented the word “congealed” but, food-wise, any word that follows it, does not sound very appetizing to me.

As you are reading a menu, and all of the delicious, drool-inducing adjectives are making your stomach growl in response, what happens to you when you land on the word congealed?

My stomach quickly halts and says “Hold Up Sister, That’s not happening!” That one adjective can eradicate my hunger in a nanosecond, yet it makes others line up, plate in hand with arms extended.  Enough criticizing (or rambling)!

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Strawberry Jello Pretzel Salad!

Of all the jellied concoctions I have tried, one that I can enjoy is strawberry pretzel salad. More strawberry and pretzel than salad really, but call it what you will, for it is tasty.  For those of you unfamiliar with strawberry pretzel salad, let me enlighten you.

It is a multi-layer salad beginning with a pretzel and butter crust, covered with a cream cheese and sugar blanket, and topped with strawberries suspended in a thin layer of strawberry-flavored gelatin.

It is typically served on a bed of iceberg lettuce so it qualifies as a salad and can, in good conscience, be served at the beginning of the meal.

Because of the middle layer of sugar and cream cheese, I think of this as more of a dessert and not a salad!

I wanted to duplicate this Southern staple, but forego the gelatin and spruce it up with some chocolate, all while making if finger friendly!

Strawberry Pretzel Stacks are the reinvention of Strawberry Jello Pretzel Salad! Take out the cream cheese and the jello and make these tiny bites with a crispy pretzel crust, creamy chocolate ganache, and fresh strawberries and mint! Strawberry Pretzel Stacks Recipe | Take Two Tapas | #Strawberry #Pretzel #Stacks #Jello #Salad

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If you are not in the mood for chocolate (did I really just say that?!?!?), then you can use a cream cheese frosting. I have provided a link to my cream cheese frosting recipe.

The recipe makes a large batch, but I keep in the refrigerator and use for multiple recipes. You never know when the need for cream cheese frosting will arise!

This picture shows the chocolate version and ones with cream cheese frosting and blackberries. There are endless possibilities for toppings so get creative!

I hope you enjoy these Strawberry Pretzel bites as much as I do, and with the multi-step preparation you can make the different items separately and assemble when ready!

MORE EASY FINGER FOODS

Strawberry Pretzel Stacks on a white striped plate

Strawberry Pretzel Stacks

Yield: 24 stacks
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Additional Time: 7 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Strawberry Pretzel Stacks are the reinvention of Strawberry Jello Pretzel Salad! Take out the cream cheese and the jello and make these tiny bites with a crispy pretzel crust, creamy chocolate ganache, and fresh strawberries and mint!

Ingredients

For the pretzel crusts

  • 2 cups crushed salted pretzels
  • 3/4 cup melted butter
  • 1/4 cup sugar

Chocolate Ganache

  • 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Strawberry Topping

  • 2 tablespoons chopped mint
  • 1 pint of strawberries (washed and chopped)

Instructions

Bake the pretzel crusts

  1. Preheat oven to 325F and spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray or a light coating of olive oil.
  2. Crush pretzels and toss with melted butter and sugar.
  3. Press the mixture into the mini muffin pans to make a crust base (about 1 tablespoon for each).
  4. Bake for 8 minutes.
  5. Remove pan to a cooling rack and let sit until set.
  6. Remove crusts and add more non-cooking spray and more pretzel mixture.
  7. Cook and cool until all the mixture has been used. This recipe makes 24 crusts.

Make chocolate ganache

  1. While the crusts are baking, heat cream, butter, and chocolate chunks in a double boiler.
  2. Stir until melted and smooth.
  3. Once all is incorporated, I chill it to thicken it and then store until ready to use.

Make the strawberry topping

  1. Chop strawberries and mint leaves. Let sit a few minutes to mix flavors.

When ready to serve, assemble the stacks

  1. Place one teaspoon of ganache on top of a pretzel crust.
  2. Top with strawberries and mint and serve.

Notes

*If you like the recipe, leave me a comment and rate it with some stars. Thank you!

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 2 stacks
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 335Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 146mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 4g

This nutrition information was generated via a third party, Nutritionix, and can bot be held liable for any discrepancies in the information provided.

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Andrea

Saturday 18th of August 2018

Theses bite size treats look so tasty and inviting. Can't wait to try them.

Aena @ Scrambled Chefs

Sunday 24th of April 2016

Hahaha your gelatin comment hit really close to home - I mean seriously what is up with everyone making everything with it. Jello is fine, but I can't make/have savory items in a jello consistency!! This recipe is the perfect little snack though, I just picked out some fresh strawberries from a farm a day back - now I know what I'm making with them :D Thanks for this recipe <3

chubcheeks@bellsouth.net

Tuesday 26th of April 2016

head cheese is something that I could never wrap my head around and some people love it!

Shadi Hasanzadenemati

Saturday 23rd of April 2016

I like jello but ONLY sweet. No Savory. Like, ever :D These stacks look so delicious and I love how cute and bite size they are!

chubcheeks@bellsouth.net

Tuesday 26th of April 2016

Me too!

Meghan | Fox and Briar

Friday 22nd of April 2016

Yes! I totally agree, I don't get the whole gelatin mold thing. I actually only heard about strawberry pretzel salad recently, and although I can appreciate the sweet and salty combo I think your version sounds much better. Still has the sweet and salty, but no wiggly gelatin!

chubcheeks@bellsouth.net

Saturday 23rd of April 2016

I eat jello, don't get me wrong, but I don't understand the obsession with it and I can't do savory foods in it...

swayam

Friday 22nd of April 2016

fabulous jen!! I havent ever made these but I wish i lived near you :)

chubcheeks@bellsouth.net

Tuesday 26th of April 2016

I would make them for you everyday!

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