Strawberry Pretzel Salad for the week
- Yield 9 servings
- Prep 30 minutes
- Cook 30 minutes
- Total 11 hours
Strawberry Pretzel Salad for the week sits in the Desserts section of Regbie. The card serves 9 servings. Plan on 11 hours from the first measure to the plate. The amounts and the method are both written on this page.
Ingredients
Yield: 9 servings
- 1½ cups grain free salted pretzels, Or ~3 ounces of pretzels. (After you crush them, you should end up with ~1 cup crushed pretzels)
- ¼ cup melted refined coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water for at least 30 min and drained
- 13.5 ounce coconut cream
- ¼ cup melted refined coconut oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon gelatin
- 1 cup strawberry juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ pound strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
Method
Warm the oven to 375°F with the rack in the middle.
Set the pretzels in a gallon-sized zip top plastic bag and use a meat pounder or rolling pin to crush them. You can also place the pretzels in a food processor and pulse them a few times until they’re broken up into small pieces, but make sure they aren’t pulverized into a powder.
Next, whisk together the melted coconut oil and maple syrup in a large mixing bowl.
Stir in the crushed pretzels, making sure they get evenly coated.
Tip in the crust into the bottom of a greased or parchment-lined 8 x 8-inch baking dish. Use an offset spatula to press the crust into an even layer that covers the bottom completely.
Pop the pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and holds together.
Cool the crust on a wire rack to room temperature.
In a high-powered blender, combine the soaked cashews, coconut cream, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Puree until silky smooth.
Chill the filling in the fridge for about 30 minutes or in an ice bath until it’s no longer super liquidy or warm. (If the filling is too watery or warm, it can break up the pretzel crust when you pour it on top).
Carefully pour the cream cheese filling onto the cooled pretzel crust. If there are lots of air bubbles on top of the faux cheesecake layer, use a toothpick to pop them.
Lid the pan with a silicone lid, aluminum foil, or plastic wrap and freeze it for at least 6 hours or until solid. (If you are making strawberry pretzel salad ahead of time, this is a good place to stop because you can store the bottom two layers in the freezer for up to 3 months—just make sure the pan is tightly sealed with foil and/or plastic wrap. When you’re ready to finish making this recipe, continue with the steps below.)
Scatter the gelatin into a bowl filled with 2 tablespoons of water. Stir to combine and keep nearby to bloom (about 5 minutes).
In a small saucepan, heat up the strawberry juice and honey over a medium burner until simmering. Whisk well to combine.
Take the strawberry juice off the heat and whisk in the hydrated gelatin. Tip the strawberry jello mixture into a liquid measuring cup and cool to room temperature. (You can speed up the strawberry gelatin cooling process by placing the measuring cup in an ice bath. Be careful to not chill too long or the gelatin will start gelling!)
Take the pan out of the freezer and arrange the sliced strawberries in a single layer on top of the solidified creamy layer.
Tip the cooled strawberry gelatin mixture on top of the strawberries.
Chill the strawberry pretzel salad in the refrigerator until the top layer solidifies, about 4 hours and up to a day in advance.
Cut into squares and enjoy!
Kitchen notes
- Tips for the best paleo strawberry pretzel salad: Take your time!
- Yes, you will need to plan ahead and give yourself about 2 days to make this dessert ’cause you have to wait for the creamy layer to solidify in the freezer (at least 6 hours) and the top layer takes an additional 4 hours to gelatinize.
- If you rush it, the layers will combine together and you won’t get three distinct layers.
