♣

Comfort food isn’t really comforting if it’s hard to make, right? Jack’s Berry Pretzel Dessert is decidedly easy-ish and so heavy on comfort, it’s the equivalent of a heavy, down comforter; eleven bottles of wine; a week off from work; and all ten seasons of Friends on Netflix.

♣

You’ve probably heard of this dessert before. I didn’t invent Strawberry Pretzel Dessert, but I’ve definitely improved upon it. I’m tempted to launch into a litany of terms like “upgrade your dessert,” “take berries to the next level,” and “up your pretzel dessert game,” but I won’t, because I have too much respect for the English language. I’ll just cut right to it and simply tell you that Jack’s Berry Pretzel Dessert uses a better crust recipe, an increased amount of filling, and a trio of berries. I named it after my nephew, who helped me develop it.

To make Jack’s Berry Pretzel Dessert, first you’ll need to whip up a couple batches of Pretzel Crunch. It’s a delicious snack that you can eat on its own, but for our purposes, you’re going to turn it into a crust. Finally, you’ll fill that delicious crust with tangy cream, Jell-O, and fruit.

What you need to serve 12-16:

FOR THE PRETZEL CRUNCH

Adapted from a recipe by Christina Tosi, that appeared in Momofuku Milk Bar. I found it at Food 52.

It really does ride a line between sweet and savory, even though it does contain a quarter cup of sugar. It’s beautiful and delicious. I modified Christina’s recipe to make use of malted-milk powder, instead of malt powder. I also made it into a bit of a chewy-crunchy mix, but you can make a strictly crunchy version if you want. Makes 2 cups; you’ll need to make two batches (or 1.5 if you love math, hate leftovers, and don’t care for garnish).

2 generous cups mini pretzels (about 1/4 of a 16-ounce bag)
1/4 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
3 slightly generous Tbs powdered milk
1/4 cup Nestle Carnation Malted Milk powder
1/8 tsp salt, optional
7 Tbs butter, melted

How to make the Pretzel Crunch:

1. Pre-heat to 275°F.
2. Measure pretzels into med-size mixing bowl; crush them with your hands to one-quarter of their original size.
3. Add remaining ingredients; toss to mix, creating small clusters along the way.
4. Spread clusters on a non-stick jelly roll pan and bake for 20 minutes.
5. After allowing them to cool for about three minutes, run a spatula under them to make sure that they won’t stick to the pan.
6. Cool completely.

Notes: The original recipe calls for malt powder, but I couldn’t find any. Granted, I looked in only one grocery store, so maybe “find” is too strong a word. “Malt powder didn’t fall out of the sky and hit me in the head.” Maybe that’s what I should say. Anyway, I found the Nestle powder in the coffee aisle at the grocery store, and I figured I could make it work. In addition to the amounts I’ve given above, I also tried reversing the Nestle and milk powders: 1/4 cup milk and 3 Tbs Nestle. More subtle, but also delicious … crunchier. The original recipe also called for salt – but only in the directions, not in the ingredient list. It’s fine without salt, or with a little salt, depending on your tastes. I like it without. Christina says that, “stored in an airtight container at room temperature, the crunch will keep fresh for 1 week; in the fridge or freezer, it will keep for 1 month.” I don’t have the self-discipline to do that kind of testing.

FOR THE PRETZEL CRUNCH CRUST

Another Christina Tosi recipe. I modified it for use in a 11 x 13 pan.

1.5 batches of Pretzel Crunch
3 Tbs butter, melted, plus more for pan

How to make the Pretzel Crunch Crust:

1. Pre-heat to 275°F.
2. Butter an 11 x 13 (preferably glass) baking pan.
3. Using a food processor, whip that crunch into something less than pea-size. It takes a lot more pulsing than you might think.
4. Toss the processed crunch with the melted butter. Yeah, I know it already has a lot of butter in it, but is “more than a lot” of butter really too much butter? Seriously? You’re going to question that, and ignore all the chemistry that calls itself Cool Whip?
5. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the pan.
6. Bake for 10 minutes.
7. Cool completely on a rack.

FOR THE FILLING

2 packages (8 oz. each, for a total of 16 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1.75 cups sugar
1 large (16 oz.) tub Cool Whip, thawed
1 Pretzel Crunch Crust
1 large (6 oz.) package red Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
20 oz. frozen berries
1/3 cup Pretzel Crunch for garnish, optional

How to make the filling:

1. Paddle the cream cheese and sugar until very soft and liquid.
2. Fold in Cool Whip (or Cool Whip, if you’re a Family Guy Fan).
3. Spread mixture onto crust. Push the mixture toward the edges of the pan, and push it up so that it forms a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the pan, leaving an even, shallow well in the center of the pan.
4. Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water.
5. Stir in frozen berries and allow to set briefly. It may set immediately as you stir. If not, toss it into the fridge for maybe four minutes. When mixture is about the consistency of egg whites, carefully spoon it/pour it over cream cheese layer. Push carefully to the edges of the well.
6. Process the Pretzel Crunch garnish to fine crumbs. Sprinkle along the perimeter of the pan.
7. Refrigerate until fully set.

Notes: This is just as good the next day as it is the first. The crust won’t start to lose its crunch until day three at the earliest, which makes this a good choice for a make-ahead item. If you’re planning to have this (or some part thereof) around for longer than three days, you must cover it with plastic wrap, because the refrigerator will dry it out and it will start to resemble the plastic that it probably really is. If you’re slightly more modest than I, you could reduce the cream cheese/Cool Whip mixture by 25%. If you have a sweet tooth, you could increase the sugar to two cups.

I realize the pressure to rewrite this recipe using freshly whipped cream and mascarpone, and unflavored gelatin mixed with a homemade, pear-infused vodka. Using Cool Whip and Jell-O – I mean, really … one or the other would be bad enough. But both? – plants me so firmly in the lower circles of hell that Martha Stewart can’t even look down upon me without a telescope. But I was raised on Cool Whip and Jell-O; they bring me back to every family picnic and all the backyard barbecues of my childhood. I don’t mind revisiting those days on occasion.

Jack’s Berry Pretzel Dessert

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! This content was not written in exchange for anything, nor was it solicited. I don’t have any connection to Nestle. I mentioned them specifically because I wanted to be clear about what I’d used; I imagine many of you may not be familiar with the product.

Keep us with us on Bloglovin‘.