Make this beautiful and delicious strawberry dessert! Starting with a delicious graham cracker crust, followed by a tasty cream cheese layer, then topped with jello and strawberries, and finished off with whipped cream, this summer dessert has it all!

This dessert hits all the right notes. Fruity, creamy, crunchy–it has all the pleasing textures you love. It’s the perfect dessert for summer when fresh strawberries are plentiful.

I’ve got step-by-step pictures for you, so let’s get started!

The first thing you need to do is make your delicious graham cracker base. This is the same base I use to add to my cheesecake varieties of ice cream. You just mix graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Pour them into an 8×8″ or 9×9″ pan.

Then press everything down. You can use the back of a spoon, or your fingers.

Now you’ll just bake this at 350 degrees F for 12-13 minutes, until golden brown and your kitchen smells like heaven.

Set it aside to cool.

While the crust is cooling, it’s time to make the Jello portion of the dessert. You’ll add 1 cup of boiling water to a package (3 ounces) of strawberry Jello. (If you don’t have strawberry, you can also use cherry or raspberry flavors).

Put this Jello mixture into your refrigerator to start cooling.

Meanwhile, slice one pound of fresh strawberries. As soon as you’re done slicing, take the Jello mixture out of the refrigerator and add the strawberries. Stir to coat and put back in the refrigerator.

While the Jello and strawberries are chilling, mix up the creamy center of this dessert. Add softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla to a bowl and blend with a hand mixer until smooth. Then fold it one cup of whipped cream.

Spoon on top of your cooled graham cracker crust.

Carefully spread from edge to edge.

You want to seal the sides with this cream cheese topping so that none of the Jello leaks down and makes the graham cracker crust soggy.

Now it’s time to pour on the Jello and the strawberries. You can see from the pictures that I let mine set up a little bit too much, but that’s o.k. It’s better if the Jello is a little bit more runny so it makes a smoother top. But we’re just going to cover it with whipped cream anyway, so it’s all good 🙂

Spread that whipped topping from edge to edge.

Now if you want to get extra fancy, you can sprinkle extra graham cracker crumbs on top, and add additional strawberries for garnish.

Cover and chill for at least four hours. (If desired, you can leave the whipped cream off the top and just put it on right before serving. This makes sure that your covering, like plastic wrap, doesn’t mess up the whipped cream).

When ready to serve, slice and use a spatula to carefully remove from the pan and place on plates.

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Strawberry Layer Dessert

Yield: 9 servings

Prep Time: 1 hour

Additional Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 5 hours

Make this beautiful and delicious strawberry dessert! Starting with a delicious graham cracker crust, followed by a tasty cream cheese layer, then topped with jello and strawberries, and finished off with whipped cream, this summer dessert has it all!

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Ingredients

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 5 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 (3 ounce) package strawberry gelatin
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups whipped cream, divided

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, mix the 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs, 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 5 Tablespoons melted butter. Press into the bottom of an 8x8" or 9x9" baking pan.
3. Bake for 12-13 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.
4. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the whole package (3 ounces) of strawberry gelatin. Pour in the one cup of boiling water and gently stir continuously until all the gelatin has dissolved. Place in the refrigerator to cool slightly.
5. Hull and slice your strawberries. Add to your gelatin mixture and return to the refrigerator to set up slightly.
6. In a separate medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the 4 ounces of softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. When smooth, fold in 1 cup of whipped cream. Spread over the cooled graham cracker crust from edge to edge, making sure to seal all around the edges of the pan so no gelatin can leak down.
7. Pour the gelatin/strawberry mixture on top of the cream cheese mixture. Return to the refrigerator to chill for about four hours.
8. Before serving, add the remaining one cup of whipped cream and spread over the top. Sprinkle with extra graham cracker crumb and garnish with fresh strawberries if desired. Slice and serve with a spatula.

Notes

You can use cherry or raspberry gelatin in place of the strawberry gelatin.

Make sure to use whipped cream (like Cool Whip) or homemade whipped cream--NOT heavy whipping cream in its liquid form!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 228Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 138mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 2gSugar: 14gProtein: 3g

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