Grandma's Raspberry Pretzel Jello

I have two weaknesses in life: tall, blue-eyed German ski instructors and Grandma's incredible pretzel jello.
Well and maybe dogs, and horses, and Lidnt dark chocolate with sea salt, but that's beyond the point.

Grandma Ronnie takes care of my addiction to her fantastic jello; I've requested it enough times (at every Madden family gathering for years) that it has now become a reunion dinner staple. Thank God.

Pretzel crust adds saltiness and the Cool-Whip & cream cheese middle is fluffy and sweet and the raspberry jello is just tart enough. Seriously delicious. I could eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Who are we kidding, I do eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Make it, you'll understand.

Grandma's Raspberry Pretzel Jello

Ingredients:
Pretzel Layer
2 cups crushed pretzels (about 5 cups mini pretzels, not crushed)
3/4 cup melted unsalted butter
3 teaspoons sugar
Whipped layer
1 Cool Whip tub, defrosted
1 (8oz) package cream cheese
1 cup sugar
Jello layer
2 cups boiling water
1 (6oz) package raspberry jello
1 (10 oz) bag frozen, unsweetened raspberries

Directions:

1. Pretzel Layer: Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine pretzels, butter, and 3 teaspoons sugar.
2. In a 13" x 9" glass pan**, press the butter/pretzel mixture down evenly. Bake 8 minutes.
3. Set in refrigerator to cool. (I'll often make this the night before so it's completely cool when I add the other layers--you do not want to add the middle layer while the pretzel is still warm or it will become runny.)
4. Whipped Layer: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the cream cheese, Cool Whip, and 1 cup sugar with a hand mixer. Increase the speed gradually until the mixture is light and fluffy.
5. Spread the Cool Whip mixture over the pretzel base.
6. Jello Layer: Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium pot. Add the raspberry gelatin, stirring so that is dissolves completely. 
7. Immediately add the frozen raspberries and place in the fridge for 10 -15 minutes.
8. Now that it's semi-set, pour the raspberry jello over the whipped layer. Gently shake the glass pan so that it spreads evenly. 
9. Cool until set and serve! 

**Note: My favorite layer is the pretzel layer, so I sometimes make this in an 8"x8" glass pan. Add a minute or two to the cooking time and halve the whipped layer so that everything still fits in the pan. Use the extra whip as fruit dip or dip for pretzels!