Mandarin Orange Pretzel Salad is a layered dessert made with a crunchy pretzel crust and topped with cream cheese, orange jello, whipped cream, and mandarin oranges.
2cupsmandarin orange juicereserved from the cans of mandarins
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9×13 pan with nonstick baking spray.
Place the pretzels in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the pretzels are crushed into small pieces but not pulverized. Add ¾ cups sugar and the melted butter and pulse a few more times to combine the ingredients without breaking down the pretzel pieces too small. Press the mixture into the bottom of the 9×13 pan.
Bake the pretzel base for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, the remaining ¾ cup of sugar, and the vanilla until well combined. Fold in the Cool Whip until the mixture is evenly combined.
Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the cooled pretzel crust. When adding the cream cheese mixture to the pan, make sure that it goes all the way to the edges. This creates a barrier to prevent the jello from seeping down into the pretzel base and making it soggy.
Drain the mandarin oranges, reserving 2 cups of juice. If your mandarin oranges are in syrup, use 2 cups of water instead. Add ice cubes to the juice or refrigerate it.
In a medium bowl, dissolve the gelatin/jello in two cups of boiling water. Once it is completely dissolved, add the chilled mandarin juice (or water.) Add the mandarin oranges to the mixture and stir to combine. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until the jello is just starting to thicken but has not yet set.
Carefully pour the mandarins and jello over the cream cheese layer. Cover and refrigerate for two hours or until the jello is set. Slice into squares to serve.