Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9×13 pan with nonstick baking spray to ensure your salad comes out easily.
Place the pretzels in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they are crushed into small pieces, being careful not to pulverize them completely. You want a nice mix of texture.
Add ¾ cups of sugar and the melted butter to the crushed pretzels and pulse a few more times to combine. Ensure that the mixture is combined well without breaking down the pretzel pieces too small.
Press the pretzel mixture into the bottom of the 9×13 pan evenly. This will form the crust.
Bake the pretzel base for 10 minutes. When done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, the remaining ¾ cup of sugar, and the vanilla using an electric mixer until well combined and smooth.
Fold in the Cool Whip gently until the mixture is evenly combined. Be careful not to deflate the whipped cream.
Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cooled pretzel crust evenly. Make sure it goes all the way to the edges to create a barrier that prevents the jello from seeping down and making the crust soggy.
Drain the mandarin oranges, reserving 2 cups of the juice. If your oranges are in syrup, use 2 cups of boiling water instead. Add ice cubes to the juice or refrigerate it to chill.
In a medium bowl, dissolve the orange gelatin in the two cups of boiling water, stirring until it's completely dissolved. Once dissolved, add the chilled mandarin juice (or water) to the mixture.
Add the drained mandarin oranges to the gelatin mixture and stir gently to combine. This will add flavor and texture to the jello.
Place the gelatin mixture in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or until it is just beginning to thicken but hasn’t set yet.
Carefully pour the mandarin orange and jello mixture over the cream cheese layer. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours or until the jello is fully set.
Once set, slice into squares and serve chilled. Enjoy your delicious Mandarin Orange Pretzel Salad!
