Pretzel Peach Pie: The Salty-Sweet Side of Summer

To celebrate peak peach season, I’m pairing the stone fruit with pretzels in a pie that has the perfect amount of crunch.
By: Victoria Belanger

Salty-sweet desserts are all the rage (much to our taste buds’ delight), so I always find it fun coming up with new (and seasonal) ways to experiment with these flavors. To celebrate peak peach season, I’m pairing the stone fruit with pretzels in a pie that has the perfect amount of crunch. In addition to adding texture, the salted pretzels really bring out that sweet peach flavor. My favorite thing about this pie is its layers (peach nectar- and cinnamon-spiked gelatin, tangy cream cheese and those salty, crunchy pretzels), which makes digging into it kind of like unwrapping a delicious dessert present.

Pretzel Peach Jell-O Pie
Makes: 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients:
2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons (2 envelopes) of unflavored gelatin powder
1/2 cup cold water
1 cup boiling water
2/3 cup white sugar
4 oz (half a brick) cream cheese, softened
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cups peach nectar (Kerns or Goya makes it or puree you own!)
9 or 10 peeled peach slices

To make the Pretzel Peach Jell-O Pie:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine pretzels, butter, and brown sugar well until pasty. Press the mixture into a pie plate. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until you are ready to add the filling.

In a large bowl, sprinkle 1 tablespoon (1 envelope) of unflavored gelatin over 1/4 cup of the cold water and allow the gelatin to absorb the water for 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the boiling water until gelatin is fully dissolved. Stir in 1/3 cup of the sugar.

Beat in cream cheese until mixture is smooth. Refrigerate until thickened to the consistency of a gel.

Gently spoon the cream cheese mixture onto the pretzel crust in the pie plate. Use the back of a spoon to spread the mixture evenly over all the pretzel crust. Refrigerate until you are ready to spoon in the next layer.

In a large bowl, sprinkle 1 tablespoon (1 envelope) of unflavored gelatin over 1/4 cup of the cold water and allow the gelatin to absorb the water for 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the boiling water until gelatin is fully dissolved. Stir in 1/3 cup of the sugar, the cinnamon, and the honey. Stir in the peach nectar. Refrigerate the mixture until it thickens to the consistency of a gel.

Arrange the sliced peaches in a formation over the cream cheese layer in the pie plate.

Gently spoon the thickened peach gelatin into the pie plate over the peaches and cream cheese. Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.

Slice, serve and enjoy!

Victoria Belanger is the author of Hello, Jell-O!: 50+ Inventive Recipes for Gelatin Treats and Jiggly Sweets . She creates craft Jell-O molds in unexpected flavors and artistic presentations for her blog The Jello Mold Mistress of Brooklyn. Her jello has been featured in The New York Times , Oprah.com , The Splendid Table radio show, The Chew talk show, and Apartment Therapy’s: The Kitchn , to name a few. Additionally, Victoria works as a photographer and enjoys exploring the five boroughs of New York City by bicycle.

Want More Jell-O?
Try some recipes from Victoria's book, Hello, Jell-O!
Make Chuck's sunny Honey Tangerine Gelatin
Watch Alie & Georgia prepare a sweet, spiked berry Jell-O salad

Get even more great summer dessert recipes

Next Up

Summer Fest: Plum Good Sweets

Get Cooking Channel's best plum dessert recipes, including Plum Upside Down Cake, Kelsey Nixon's Berry Crisp with Plums and more.

Summer's Hottest Ice Cream Flavors

Every year, ice cream store owners across the country predict which flavors will be the most popular. Dave Powitz shares the early ice cream trends from this summer.

Mint Julep Jell-O: Cocktails Meet Dessert

Get Cooking Channel's recipe for a spiked mint julep-flavored Jell-O mold with blackberries and bourbon.

Giveaway: Cookout-Themed Cookies!

Cooking Channel is giving away one batch of cookout-themed Peapods Cookies to one lucky winner. Comment for a chance to win.

Retro Red, White & Boozy Jell-O Dessert

Make a red, white and blue Jell-O recipe with rum, berries and sparkling ginger ale for July 4th.

Mix It Up: Breadcrumbs in Ice Cream

Discover a new way to mix up your ice cream recipes -- breadcrumbs. Cooking Channel shares several ideas for mixing in breadcrumbs to your ice cream desserts.

Cookbook Giveaway: People's Pops

Get sample recipes on Cooking Channel from the new People's Pops cookbook, People's Pops: 55 Recipes for Ice Pops, Shave Ice, and Boozy Pops.

Sifted: Sweet and Salty Desserts + More Delicious Bits

Get our take on the best in food news, recipes and more from around the web, including the best Valentine's Day recipes.

Summer Fest: 7 Apple Desserts Beyond Pie

Here are seven ways to cook apples into a delicious dessert.

On TV

So Much Pretty Food Here