Maraschino Coconut Bars

Okay, so I didn’t just make these bars because I made homemade maraschino cherries (and therefore have a crapload of them hanging around- let’s face it- how many cocktails with maraschino cherries can a girl take in a two week window?)- I made these bars because any kind of dessert with a shortbread crust and a gooey topping with coconut, almonds and cherries is just too hard to resist.
(Yes, I was able to deplete the jug of maraschinos by a whopping 1/2 cup, so that was good too, but again- not the mission at hand. The dessert beckoned.)

Note: after these bars baked and cooled, I peeled the foil off the bottom of the 8″ giant square bar (before cutting) and held up to my face, inhaling the baked butter smell of the crust intertwined with the aforementioned goo of the filling… the almondy waft with baked sugar. I was smitten. I insisted that The Husband smell it too, and although he didn’t trust me when I put the giant uncut bar up to his face (he assumed I’d smash it into his nose as he smelled it, which I normally would have done, but I wanted to give some of the bars away so had to respect the fact that my neighbors wouldn’t want a dessert that had been smooshed into someone’s face). I think he was intoxicated by the smell too.
Oh, and the taste ain’t all that bad either :)

BASE:

1 cup butter, softened

3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

GOOEY TOPPING:

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds

1/2 cup shredded or flaked coconut

1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries
1. Preheat oven to 350° and line an 8″ square baking pan with foil; grease lightly.
2. BASE: In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 2 – 3 minutes). Add flour and beat until dough is just combined. Press into bottom of baking pan and bake for 20 minutes (or until turning golden around the edges).
3. TOPPING: In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, salt and BP. In a measuring cup, lightly beat the eggs and stir in vanilla. Pour into the flour mixture and stir until combined. Stir in almonds, coconut and cherries until just blended. Pour over lightly baked crust/base and bake for 20 – 25 minutes (topping will turn slightly golden in color and will appear mostly set). Allow to cool; eat at room temperature.
Tips:
- Spreading the shortbread base will be easier if you dip your fingers into a bit of flour as you go; that way you won’t stick more batter to your fingers than the pan itself. No need to press the crap out of the dough either- just spread it so it’s basically even across the pan.
- Walnuts are the official nut for this dessert, I think. But I wanted to amplify the almond flavoring of the maraschino cherries… but feel free to revert to the classic if you’d like.
- Slicing gooey bars is so much easier it you chill them first, then use a large chef’s knife to make a decisive slice in one fell swoop for each row. Wipe the knife off after each cut.
- Freeze-friendly? Yes! I have 3 in the freezer, waiting. Calling.
- Yes, these bars are very similar to the Cherry Chew Bars I plan to share near Christmas. (You know the ones with the pink icing on top?) You’ll just have to wait for those. Five months. Time will fly.
- Enjoy!
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August 1st, 2012 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: Bars, Cherries, Coconut, Goopy