These festive fruit cookie bars feature a vanilla wafer crumb crust topped with white chocolate chips, red and green candied cherries, chopped dates and pecans, drizzled with sweetened condensed milk and baked until bubbly.

Chocolate Candied Fruit Bars

2 cups (about 60 wafers) vanilla wafer crumbs
1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2/3 cup cold butter
1 cup white chocolate 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 (not evaporated milk)
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1. Heat 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 white chocolate 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.