Holiday Ruffle Squares rely heavily on powdered jello mix for their flavour and colour. With only five ingredients, these squares are a no-bake confection that is easy to prepare and delicious to eat! Use any jello flavour you wish here; I’m using cherry to get that Christmasy red colour.

Holiday Ruffle Squares are one of those recipes that I wish I had come across while my mom was still alive. She loved baking with coconut and jello so much! I know she would have loved these squares. A couple of years back, I shared my mom’s jello balls recipe with you and they were a huge hit. Looking back, I’m surprised that she didn’t ever try pressing the jello balls mixture into a baking pan and topping it with melted chocolate!
I can’t help but think of my mom when working with coconut. She absolutely loved it! It will be seven years on November 17th since Mom passed, so making these squares is certainly triggering a lot of fond memories today. When I was young, I never baked or cooked with her. But, back in the late 90s, my sister and I shared an apartment together. Mom spent many evenings there with us while we stocked the freezer with some of her holiday favourites.
Just in case you’re wondering, some of her favourites were these Marshmallow Coconut Balls and these Jumbo Marshmallow Balls. Yes, she loved marshmallows too! Another one of her favourites where Traditional Newfoundland Snowballs. But, that’s no surprise at all. Everyone – and, I mean everyone! – loves those!! The same can be said for these Chocolate Coconut Balls.
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I’m going to tell you all about this recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the bars and squares recipes! Before I get into today’s recipe, let me make mention of the previous holiday confection countdowns that I just finished up this year.
Back in October, I kicked off the holiday season with a holiday recipe series called Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Trifle Series and followed that up with a second series called Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Breads and Loaves. My third series this year is the second volume of my 12 Bars and Squares of Christmas! You can find the first bars and squares series here! Before we get to a list of ingredients and instructions for today’s recipe, let me tell you about this series and more!

LORD BYRON’S 12 BARS AND SQUARES OF CHRISTMAS – Volume 2
Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to the third of my annual holiday recipe series for this season! This one is called Lord Byron’s 12 Bars and Squares of Christmas – Volume 2! I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy, just like in previous years. Even if a recipe looks complex, I promise you that it is not! My goal, as always, is to share recipes with you that are not too complex to whip up as a holiday treat for your family.
Like every other holiday series I’ve shared over the years, this series will share a new recipe every day for the next 24 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?
Lord Byron’s Annual Christmas Cookie Series
Did you know that Lord Byron’s Kitchen has been sharing a 24 Cookies of Christmas Series for the past several years? Click on the links below to see all of the recipes from each series on one page!
SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!
So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Bars and Squares of Christmas series! Even though this is the third series for this holiday season, you can always look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.
You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??
Looking For More Christmas Confections?
Lord Byron’s Kitchen has more than enough to satisfy your sweet tooth! Click on the links below to see a countdown series of holiday recipes from that category!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE
The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.
- Canned Sweetened Condensed Milk – This recipe has not been tested with low-fat condensed milk. Depending on where you live, the size of the can may differ.
- Confectioner’s Sugar – This is often referred to as powdered sugar or icing sugar.
- Jello – You will need one package of red jello, which is usually strawberry, cherry, or watermelon.
- Coconut – Because the other ingredients in this recipe are sweet, use an unsweetened coconut.
- Milk Chocolate Chips
- Vegetable Oil
HOW TO MAKE HOLIDAY RUFFLE SQUARES
Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper. Fold the parchment paper so that it fits snugly in the pan. I use two sheets – one folded to fit the length of the pan and another folded to fit across the pan. Allow the excess parchment paper to hang out over the side of the pan. Coat the parchment paper with a thin layer of non-stick cooking spray. Once the confection is firm, use the excess parchment to lift the whole block out of the pan to make it easy to cut into squares.
Measure the sweetened condensed milk, confectioner’s sugar, and jello powder into a mixing bowl. Stir and combine until fully incorporated. Next, stir in the coconut. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan. Press it in firmly, being sure to get into the corners. Creating a flat, firm layer is the goal. I like to use a rolling pin to help with this task. Once done, set the pan aside.
Place the milk chocolate chips and vegetable oil into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave it on half power in 30-second increments, stirring well after each increment until smooth and lump-free. Pour the melted chocolate over the coconut layer and smooth it out to an even layer. Set the pan aside for one hour at room temperature, allowing the chocolate to cool slowly before placing the pan in the fridge for an additional hour. Cut into squares and store in a food-safe container with a tight-fitting lid. Keep refrigerated.

WHAT KIND OF JELLO DO YOU RECOMMEND?
These Holiday Ruffle Squares are all about personal preference. I’ve never been a huge fan of jello – there’s just something about the texture that doesn’t sit well with me. But, in cookie form, I’m all over it! Obviously, I picked a red jello for this particular Christmas square. I used cherry flavour, but you can use watermelon, strawberry, etc. – as long as the colour is red. If you want green squares, you can use green jello, such as lime flavour. (Does green jello come in another flavour but lime?) You can use whatever flavour you like. If I were not making these for Christmas, I would most certainly go for grape. If I were to eat jello the way it was meant to be eaten, it would have to be grape!
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THE TYPE OF COCONUT IS IMPORTANT
When it comes to coconut to bake with, there are two kinds – sweetened and unsweetened. Those two types can be found in different levels of fineness and coarseness. It’s important to use unsweetened coconut for this recipe. Otherwise, with the addition of condensed milk and melted milk chocolate, these Holiday Ruffle Squares may be too sweet to eat!
You’ll want to use an unsweetened coconut. The size of the shredded coconut won’t make a difference to the taste, but it certainly will make a difference when you try to slice the squares. The longer shreds of coconut will make for a messier bite and you want your delicious squares to look just as amazing as they taste!
Depending on the brand, some coconut is shredded, grated, or desiccated. Shredded usually refers to larger pieces, while grated tend to be smaller. Desiccated has nothing to do with the size of the pieces but means the coconut is dried or that the moisture has been removed. In most cases, you will find a fine or medium grade. Medium is my personal coconut of choice in most cases and it is what I used here.

NO-BAKE RECIPES
I used to think that the term no-bake meant that a recipe was more of an assembly-type recipe. Something like a salad, for example. It sounds simple enough, right? Toss the lettuce and any other veggies you want into a bowl. Top it with cheese, croutons, avocado, hard-boiled egg, etc. Add some dressing and you’re all done! But, no-bake actually just means no baking. There still might be some stove-top cooking needed – or even a microwave, for that matter. To prepare these Holiday Ruffle Squares, you will need to use your microwave.
Some other no-bake-type holiday recipes you might enjoy are these Rudolph’s Red Nose Cookies. Hairy Moose Droppings are delicious and always quite the conversation starter! Just like these Caramel Peanut Slices were a favourite of my mom’s so were these Marshmallow Coconut Balls and so were these Christmas Crunch Cookies. You can find many more no-bake cookie recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen by using the search field at the top of this page.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING
Most no-bake confections are made without the need to freeze them for long periods of time, but they can be frozen. For this recipe, I have tested whether or not they can be frozen, and they certainly can! Once they are completely firm, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer-friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in! You can freeze these for up to three months.
If you plan to give previously frozen bars or squares as a gift, I would lay them out on a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?
If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!
Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!
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Holiday Ruffle Squares
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
- 3 ounce package red jello
- 2 1/4 cups coconut
- 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper. Fold the parchment paper so that it fits snugly in the pan. I use two sheets – one folded to fit the length of the pan and another folded to fit across the pan. Allow the excess parchment paper to hang out over the side of the pan. Coat the parchment paper with a thin layer of non-stick cooking spray. Once the confection is firm, use the excess parchment to lift the whole block out of the pan to make it easy to cut into squares.
- Measure the sweetened condensed milk, confectioner's sugar, and jello powder into a mixing bowl. Stir and combine until fully incorporated.
- Next, stir in the coconut.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan. Press it in firmly, being sure to get into the corners. Creating a flat, firm layer is the goal. I like to use a rolling pin to help with this task. Once done, set the pan aside.
- Place the milk chocolate chips and vegetable oil into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave it on half power in 30-second increments, stirring well after each increment until smooth and lump-free.
- Pour the melted chocolate over the coconut layer and smooth it out to an even layer.
- Set the pan aside for one hour at room temperature, allowing the chocolate to cool slowly before placing the pan in the fridge for an additional hour.
- Cut into squares and store in a food-safe container with a tight-fitting lid. Keep refrigerated.
Nutrition
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