CHRISTMAS CHOCOLATE LAYER BARS

Rich and fudgy Christmas Chocolate Layer Bars are adorned with festive red and green for the holidays!  Whip up a batch for your cookie tray, and watch them disappear.
It's December 1st, which means we can officially break out the festive red & green goodies for Christmas, right?  Like these fun red-and-green-adorned Christmas Chocolate Layer Bars!
This chocolatey goodness is then layered between a buttery-rich crumbly crust ... sprinkled with red and green M&Ms for the holiday touch, of course.
So kick off that holiday baking with these fun-&-festive, red-and-green-adorned Christmas Chocolate Layer Bars.  As for me ... if you're looking for me over the next few weeks, rest assured there's a pretty good chance I'll be in the kitchen.  With my Christmas music playing, my Christmas tree lights twinkling, and baking up a holiday treat to share.
Happy holiday season, everyone!

INGREDIENTS:
For the crust:

• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened just slightly {do not substitute margarine}
• 2 eggs
• 3 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

For the chocolate filling:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 c. milk
• 1 c. slivered almonds
• 12 oz. (2 c.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 c. red & green M&Ms

INSTRUCTIONS:
Prepare the Crust:

1. Mix together flour, sugar, and baking powder. 
2. Cut butter into small pieces. With an electric mixer on low speed, blend in almond extract, butter and eggs. (Mixture will be VERY crumbly ... do not over mix. If mixed together too well, the crust will bake up very hard.)
3. Put 2/3 of the crumb mixture in the bottom of a greased 9x13" baking dish; pat down very lightly with your fingers. Set aside.

Prepare the Chocolate Filling:

1. Put cream cheese, chocolate chips, and milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute to melt, stirring after 30 seconds. (If not melted, microwave in 20-second intervals until melted.) Once melted, stir in almonds.
2. Pour chocolate filling over prepared crust. 
3. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture evenly on top. 
4. Sprinkle M&Ms on top and gently press down into crumb mixture with the palm of your hand.

Bake:

1. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. 
2. Cool completely and cut into small squares. Store in the refrigerator.