Festive Layered Dessert Squares
Festive Layered Dessert Squares, holiday themed dessert squares with cream cheese, cool whip, pudding and crushed candy canes. Great Christmas dessert!
Festive Layered Dessert Squares
Also try these Star Shaped Jam Cookies, they are so good!
For myself, making sweet treats this time of year is a little difficult since I don’t care much for many of the traditional holiday desserts. I cook and bake what I love, and you’ll never find me making fruit cake or dense desserts loaded with nuts.
Stemming from my firm belief that Cool Whip should be it’s own food group {lets take a vote on that}, I like to keep things creamy and light all year long.
Which is why I’m head over heels in love with this Festive Layered Dessert Squares recipe, it’s inspired by Kraft Canada’s Chocolate-Peppermint Striped Delight.
Changes that I made to this recipe is using the new cream cheese in the delicious family, the Philadelphia Chocolate Brick, instead of Philadelphia Cream Cheese. It’s the same creamy cheese, yet in chocolate – and really jazzes up a recipe. Much better than using cream cheese and then adding cocoa to infuse some chocolate.
I also changed the pudding flavour to vanilla since I already has the chocolate layer thanks to the Philadelphia Chocolate Brick. This does give you a yellowish pudding layer, so you could use food colouring and change that if you wanted a different colour.
Instead of traditional peppermint candy canes, I used cherry flavoured candy canes in this recipe. It still gives that festive flair in looks, but the cherry-chocolate combination is to die for!
Enjoy!
Festive Layered Dessert Squares
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups Honey Maid Graham Crumbs
- 1/4 cup butter (melted)
- 1/2 cup sugar (divided)
- 1 pkg Philadelphia Chocolate Brick (250 g, softened)
- 3 cups + 2 TBSP cold milk (divided)
- 1/2 cup finely crushed cherry candy canes (divided)
- 3.5 cups thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping (divided)
- 2 pkg Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding (4-serving size each)
Instructions
- Mix crumbs, butter and 2 Tbsp. sugar; press onto bottom of 13×9-inch dish. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Beat cream cheese, remaining sugar and 2 Tbsp. milk in medium bowl until blended. Stir in half the crushed candy. Add 1-1/4 cups Cool Whip; mix well. Spread over crust.
- Beat pudding mixes and remaining milk with whisk 2 min.; pour over cream cheese layer. Let stand 5 min. or until thickened. Cover with remaining Cool Whip.
- Refrigerate 4 hours. Top with remaining crushed candy just before serving.
Notes
HOW TO EASILY CUT INTO SQUARES
Place dessert in freezer about 1 hour before cutting into squares to serve.
HOW TO SOFTEN CREAM CHEESE
Place completely unwrapped package of cream cheese on microwaveable plate. Microwave on HIGH 15 sec. or until slightly softened.
SUBSTITUTE
Prepare using non-hydrogenated margarine, Philadelphia Light Brick Cream Cheese, skim milk, JELL-O Fat Free Pudding and Cool Whip Light Whipped Topping.
They look and sound absolutely delicious!
These look yummy I must try thanks!! 🙂
This looks like heaven on plate Tammi!
This looks like heaven on palate Tammi!
So, making this for Christmas thanks!
This looks really good, easy enough to make and gives me an excuse to try the chocolate cream cheese, I still have not tried that one yet, thanks for sharing!!
I love recipes like this. I am excited to try this one. I am sure it will be a hit.
That looks really good. I’ll have to keep this recipe in mind because I’m always on the lookout for easy holiday desserts.
What a great idea for our next pot luck get together. I’m bringing dessert.
This looks amazing and so pretty. I cannot wait to try.
This looks so good. I like that it seems to be light, not a traditional heavy dessert. My girls will love to help make this too!
I did not know that they made chocolate cream cheese! Talk about a game changer! These looks really yummy.
this looks so good. My mouth is watering!
oh my goodness, this looks so good! I’m going to have to try and make it soon.
What a delicious dessert twist! I think I’ll definitely give this one a try over the holiday break!