Strawberry Pretzel Bars

One of the girls at work brought this in for a pot luck and they are amazingly good.

Strawberry Pretzel Bars

2 c finely crushed pretzels
3/4 c butter, melted
1 c plus 3 Tbsp sugar divided
2 (4 servings) pkgs strawberry jello
2 c boiling water
1 16 oz pkg frozen strawberries (see note)
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 12 oz container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 13x9 pan with cooking spray.
In a med bowl combine pretzels, butter and 3 Tbsp sugar. Press
into bottom of the pan. Bake 8 mins; let cool.
In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add strawberries
and chill until slightly thickened.
In another large bowl, with an electric mixer on med speed, combine
cream cheese and remaining sugar until smooth and creamy. Fold in
whipped topping and spread evenly over pretzel crust. With mixer on
low speed, beat gelatin and strawberries until berries are broken up.
Spread over cream cheese layer. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or
until firm.
Note: Although the strawberries need to be thawed slightly so that they
are not frozen solid, the colder they are the faster the gelatin will thicken.

Serves 12