An Oldie

I have eaten this dessert/salad many times but I have never made it myself. Since Pa Lloyd is now supposed to be on a low carb/sugar diet and he loves sweets I tried to come up with a dessert that I could make that he could eat. After a little thought and browsing through my many cookbooks, I came up with this strawberry pretzel dessert. I used sugar free Jello, a sugar substitute and gluten free pretzels so it was gluten free too. It was a hit, I will be making it again before too long!
 
Strawberry/Pretzel Dessert:
First layer:
2 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
3 Tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
Mix together, press in a buttered 9x13 inch
baking dish, bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes, cool
Second Layer:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 small can drained, crushed pineapple,
save the juice
1 small container cool whip
Third Layer:
1 large ( 6 oz. ) strawberry jello
2 cups boiling water
Drained pineapple juice with water added to make one cup
2 10 oz. pkg. frozen strawberries ( I used no sugar added, sliced strawberries)
Blend ingredients for second layer until smooth, spread on cooled crust. Dissolve Jello in boiling water, stir in frozen strawberries until thawed, then add cool water/pineapple juice. Gently pour over cream cheese layer. Chill until the Jello is set.
Stay safe and have a great week!