Chocolate Fruit Bars

These festive bars are perfect for the holidays with a cocoa-infused vanilla wafer crumb crust topped with peanut butter chips, red and green candied cherries and chopped dates.

Recipe Ingredients:

2 cups (about 60 wafers) vanilla wafer crumbs
1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2/3 cup cold butter or margarine
1 cup REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips
1/2 cup candied green cherries, halved
1/2 cup candied red cherries, halved
1/2 cup chopped dates
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Stir together vanilla wafer crumbs, cocoa and sugar in large bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until crumbly. Press evenly on bottom and 1/2-inch up sides of ungreased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.
3. Sprinkle peanut butter chips, cherries and dates over crust.
4. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over fruit. Sprinkle pecans on top; press down lightly.
5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until edges of filling are lightly browned and center is bubbly. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
6. Cover with foil; let stand at room temperature 6 to 8 hours. Cut into bars. Store covered at room temperature.

Makes about 36 bars.

Recipe and photograph courtesy of the Hershey Kitchens, and reprinted with permission of The Hershey Company. © The Hershey Company.