Friday, May 31, 2013

Gluten Free Orange Pretzel Salad

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                                        Orange Pretzel Salad

     OK, so you got me on this one, technically this is NOT a Dessert, but in my world it is!  I love to make this at Christmas and in the Summer for family events, it works perfect as a Salad and Dessert, but with my family it usually doesn't last until dessert.  I get really tired of making a separate Salad and Dessert, for myself all of the time, and I'm sure many of you understand what I'm talking about.  This is one of the most requested dishes I bring, to all events, it must have something to do with the Salty and Sweet, as long as no one can tell it's Gluten Free I have done my job, and I certainly don't tell them until they have eaten every last bite!!!  Enjoy, Natalie


 


 Ingredients:
Adapted from Taste of Home
Crust-
-2 cups when crushed Snyder's Gluten Free Pretzels (crushed Finely)
-5 TB sugar
- 3/4 butter melted

       Preheat oven to 350 degrees, use an ungreased 9x13 inch pan, and press the pretzels into the bottom.  Bake for 12 min, then cool completely.

 Put your Pretzels in a food processor, or if you don't have one you can put them in a gallon Ziploc bag, and pound then with a mallet or coffee cupMake sure you break the pretzels up to a fine chop.   Notice how NOT fine mine are.  My son helped and he wanted to pound them with a mallet, he got bored and didn't pound them small enough, so WHEN COOKED IT FALLS APART, tastes great, doesn't look PRETTY!!!  Also, do not use Glutino Pretzels with this recipe, they go SOGGY, super fast and it is sooo NASTY!!!! Trust me on this!



 Cream Cheese Layer
- 1 Cream Cheese 8oz. softened
-1/2 cup sugar
-small container of Cool whip (2 cups) if you want more for the topping later, buy a big one.

Use a hand mixer or stand mixer and beat the cream cheese and sugar until they are fluffy, then add the Cool Whip and mix it in, and make it all fluffly together.  Make sure and scrape the sides and bottom, the cream cheese likes to stick.  Then smooth this all over the bottom of the Pretzel Crust, edge to edge, as to MAKE A SEAL, so the  Jello won't leak.  Put into the fridge while you make the Jello, it will speed the Jello along.



Jello:
-2 packages Orange sugar free Jello(.44 oz each)
- 3 small cans of mandarin oranges drained
-Pineapple crushed or tidbits if you want( I did not use any this time)
   This is how I set the Jello, I'm a huge cheater and I learned this method years ago, so I always speed set Jello.  2 cups boiling water in a pan or microwave, dissolve the jello, then a cup of ICE,  and stir, keep stirring until it is all dissolved, if it  needs more, add a little more, stir some more, only about 1 3/4 TOTAL..... then pour onto the crust, and add the fruit on top, this way I can lay the fruit out and make it look pretty.  It sets in about 20-30 minutes.  If you want when you are done, either spread Cool whip over the whole thing or just dollop the tops.



 If you don't like orange, then switch it up and make it whatever flavor you would like.  Just enjoy what you make!





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