Layered Cranberry Jello Cheesecake Dessert

If you are looking for a fitting dessert that is easy and delicious for your holiday table, then this is the recipe for you. Not only is this fitting for a holiday spread, but you can make this any time of year if you switch out the jello flavor and paired fruit.

This is one of my favorite pairings, and I love making it for the Christmas table spread. It is simple to make and you can make it one to two days in advance so you are not stressing out while the race for Christmas delicacies is being made.

Let’s get started.

INGREDIENTS:

6 oz. Cranberry Jello ( or any other flavor you like)
2 C. Boiling water
3 C. Salted Pretzels ( you can also use unsalted pretzels)
1/4 C. Sugar
1 Stick Butter – Melted
8 oz. Cream Cheese – room temp
1/2 C. Sugar
2 Tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Heavy Cream – cold

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350*.
2. Whip the cream until stiff peaks and chill until ready to use it later.
3. To a food processor or blender, add the pretzels and blend until a fine crumb. Add 1/4 cup of sugar and blend to combine. Add the butter and blend until crumbly. Press the mixture into a 9×13-inch pan.
4. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.
5. Add the cream cheese to a large bowl and beat with a handheld mixer until creamy. About 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the 1/2 Cup of sugar and blend again until smooth and creamy. About 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and blend to incorporate well. Add the whipped cream and gently fold the mixture together until the whipped cream is well incorporated with the cream cheese mixture.
6. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pretzel crust and smooth over being careful not to pull up the crumb crust. Chill the mixture for 1 hour or until set.
7. In the meantime, add the jello to a bowl and whisk in the boiling water until well combined. Let the mixture sit out on the counter to come to room temp.
8. Gently Ladle the jello mixture over the top of the cream cheese mixture making sure it is evenly distributed. Chill the mixture for 2 to 4 hours or overnight until the jello is set. You can add any fruit that you like on top of the cream cheese mixture before adding the jello.
9. Slice and serve. Can serve at room temp. Store covered in the fridge.

• The sky is the limit to the flavors and flavor pairings of this tasty treat. I have tried numerous kinds of pairings from lemon cheesecake and lemon jello to cheesecake with cranberry jello and sugared cranberries on top. They are so good.
• I also love Oreo cheesecake with chocolate pudding. Yumm. Here is how to make it. Blitz up some Oreo cookies, about 3 cups, in a blender or food processor. Press into a 9×13-inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely. Make the cheesecake filling. chill 1 hour. Mix up the chocolate instant pudding mix and spoon over the top and spread out evenly. Chill to set.
• Try mint Oreos as the base with the cheesecake filling flavored with mint and a dark chocolate or white chocolate pudding on top. So good. As I said the sky is the limit.
• Also, you can blitz up some speculoos cookies as a base add 1/4 cup speculoos butter to the cheesecake filling, and add a white chocolate pudding to the top. Oh boy! I could go on and on with different pairings.