Pretzel Peach Pie: The Salty-Sweet Side of Summer

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.

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.

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.