Strawberry Jello Squares
This is a recipe for the kid in all of us. A base of graham-cracker crumbs, layers of cream cheese, jello and strawberries make a cool, juicy dessert that is perfect for a crowd of people.
This recipe takes a bit longer than usual due to the different layers, but it can come together faster than you might think if you “cheat” by sticking the jello into the freezer while you take care of the other steps. The extra freezing air forces it to cool faster and start to gel enough to add the fruit and then add it on top of the cream cheese layer.
As usual, I used real whipped cream, but you can substitute a (thawed) whipped topping like CoolWhip in its place if you don’t feel like making it yourself.
- 2 cups graham crumbs
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 pkg. (85g) strawberry jello powder
- 1 ½ cups cold water
- 2 pkg. (250g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 TBSP milk
- 1 cup whipping cream (35%), whipped
- 4 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
- Mix graham crumbs with butter, press onto bottom of 13” x 9” pan. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Cool.
- Meanwhile, add boiling water to jelly powders, stir 2 minutes, until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water. Refrigerate 1 ½ hours, or until thickened. (Or stick in freezer while you do the next step.)
- Beat cream cheese, milk and sugar until well blended. In another bowl, whip whipping cream. Gently stir whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.
- Spread over crust. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Stir strawberries into jello, pour over cream cheese layer.
- Cover and refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.
- Don't leave the jello in the freezer for too long - just until it starts to get thicker. If you wait too long, it will freeze and things won't work out very well when you try to add it to the squares.
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