Cherry Chew Bars

  •  Cherry Chew Bars

    These bars have Christmas written all over them.  And it’s not just because they’re covered in pink frosting (which is a bit festive, I guess- but just as likely to be found at a baby shower or small girl child’s birthday party, if you want to get technical about it).

    These little buggers are festive because they are reminiscent of my early and formative sweet-tooth years.  I’d seek the little pink treats out of my Grandma’s dessert tin every Christmas… cut into bite-sized cubes, they’d make for easy stealing.  One could down a half dozen in as many minutes without a parent or grandparent catching on.  (This recipe makes bigger and fatter bars, so no discreet popping-into-mouth action here.  I went with the “bigger is better” theme in the recipe below.)

    I was given my Grandmother’s little blue recipe box when she passed away.  Lo and behold, the Cherry Chew Bars were there, right in the front, as though the recipe was waiting for me- a snippet out of a newspaper from the 60s or so.  (Confession: it’s the only recipe from the blue box I’ve ever made.  So many desserts to make in life… not enough time.)  I modified the bars, since The Husband likes a shortbread base (instead of one with oats).  As discussed, I added more gooey filling and more frosting.  And I made REAL maraschino cherries this summer (freezing the cherries & juice for this express purpose), so these bars have been taken up a notch and a half this year.  I think I’ve trumped Grandma J’s bars.  Merry-chino Christmas indeed!

    SHORTBREAD BASE:

    2 cups all-purpose flour

    ½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

    1 cup unsalted butter, cold & cut into cubes

    GOOEY FILLING:

    3 eggs, lightly beaten

    1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed

    1 ½ cups shredded coconut

    1 ½ cups maraschino cherries, well-drained

    ¾ cup pecans, lightly toasted & chopped

    2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour

    1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

    ¾ teaspoon almond extract

    ¾ teaspoon salt

    CHERRY ALMOND FROSTING:

    6 tablespoons butter, room temperature

    6 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice

    1 teaspoon almond extract

    4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

    1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease a foil-lined 9 x 13” baking dish.
    2. SHORTBREAD BASE:  In a food processor, combine flour and sugar until mixed and then pulse butter until coarse crumbs form.  Press into bottom of prepared baking dish and bake for 25 minutes (until light golden around edges).
    3. FILLING:  In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs and then stir in all other ingredients until mixed.  Pour mixture over baked shortbread base and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool before spreading frosting.
    4. FROSTING:  In a large bowl, beat butter with maraschino cherry juice and almond extract.  Gradually add sifting icing sugar (adding more or less than 4 cups to reach the spreading consistency you prefer).  Spread evenly over cooled bars, and chill before slicing.

    Tips:

    • The cherries are just SO much better if they’re homemade… but I realize that you might have a job or kids or a life, and that you might not have time to make them.  But if you DO- use this recipe.  Yum!  (Use the juice AND the cherries in this recipe, of course.)
    • More is better.  I basically doubled the gooey filling and the frosting from the original recipe.  You can cut back if you’re not into the whole “excess” theme.  Just bake 5 – 10 minutes less.
    • Freeze-friendly:  Hell yeah!  Wrap well, and just make sure you eat them within a couple of months.  Shouldn’t be a problem.
    • Look familiar?  These bars are awfully reminiscent of the Maraschino Coconut Bars I made back in the summer.  Yeah?  So what?  They are just different enough— these have pecans instead of almonds, and the proportions are all different.  There is a time and a place for both bars.  These bars MUST be made in December, for example.

     

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    December 14th, 2012 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: , ,

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