Ritz Cracker Dessert Squares

So who's pumped about Christmas and the upcoming festivities? Right about now is a great time to get started on your Christmas baking, before all of the parties and kids concerts and recitals and family gatherings start.

These squares are ALMOST no-bake - 10 minutes, and then another 2 to melt the chocolate. They're fast, they're easy, and they have 3 ingredients, and no added sugar or corn syrup - you won't find many Christmas Baking Squares like THAT!

There are several different variations of this recipe around online and it so happens that the pin that was my inspiration to make these was a dead end. Boo. I hate it when that happens! So, I poked around, looked at a few different recipes, and came up with this one. They're sweet without being overwhelming, they're moist, but a tiny bit crunchy, and the semi-sweet chocolate layer on top is the perfect thing to finish it off.

These can easily be made Gluten Free by using the Gluten Free version of these crackers, like these Glutino crackers.

3 Ingredient Ritz Cracker Dessert Squares
Ingredients:

• 1 box of Ritz Crackers (225g) or a store brand equivalent
• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.
3. Toss all crackers in a food processor or blender until completely crushed.
4. Transfer crumbs to a mixing bowl. Add can of sweetened condensed milk, and mix in bowl until completely combined.
5. Press crumb mixture firmly into prepared pan, and bake for 10 minutes.
6. As soon as the 10 minutes are up, spread 1 cup of chocolate chips evenly over the base, and place back in oven for another 2 minutes. 
7. Remove from oven and, using the back of a spoon, evenly spread the melted chocolate to cover the base. Cool. Cut into 2" squares.

Helpful tip: If you're going to cool these outside, place them in a place where squirrels won't get to them. I just made a batch yesterday, and a squirrel helped himself to them. Sigh. I hope that chocolate isn't as bad for squirrels as it is for dogs.