Coconut Cherry Almond Bars

Maraschino cherries, almonds and coconut were made for each other in these sweet and gooey bars.

If you’ve been following me for awhile, you might know that this is the time I usually start my annual RED VELVET WEEK. And I’m sure you can tell from the picture, but this isn’t red velvet.

I’ve got some bad news, and I’ve got some good news.

Bad news – I’m not doing my red velvet week this February.

Good news – I’m going to be doing my annual red velvet week later this year, alongside the release of my cookbook.

Yep, the cat’s out of the bag. (Kind of.) I went and wrote a cookbook. All about… You guessed it – red velvet.

This project has been underway for almost a year now. I’ve wanted to share this news with you all so many times. And we were going to keep it under wraps for a little longer, but I didn’t want to leave you all hanging, waiting for red velvet week to come.

I’m not releasing a whole lot of details right now, but they will all be coming in good time. It was such a labor of love (and you would never believe how much red food coloring I went through!!). I can’t wait to show it to all of you. But for now, just know that there will be a red velvet week probably the same time the book is released. So hang tight – there’s a whole lot of red velvet coming!!

In the meantime, I wanted to make sure you all had plenty of sweet treats to make for your loved ones. So this week is officially being deemed “Sweets For Your Sweet Week.” I’ve got 5 all new sweet treats that would be perfect for Valentine’s Day. (Although Tuesday I have a main dish for you – that’s why I’m starting on Sunday!)

Up first, these Coconut Cherry Almond Bars. When I think of Valentine’s Day, of course I think of red velvet, but I also think of anything red, pink and chocolate. And candy.

Cherries definitely fall into that red/pink category. And I have a thing for maraschino cherries. We always have them on hand. So any sweet treat with maraschino cherries in it will go to the top of my “want” list.

I have to be honest – when I first took these out of the oven, I didn’t have the highest hopes for them. But I was happily surprised when I bit into one and immediately fell in love.

You’ll want to cut these small, because they are sweet, but the combination of cherries, coconut and almonds is just spot on. These are definitely a treat that your sweetheart will love!!

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Coconut Cherry Almond Bars

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Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 24 bars

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Maraschino cherries, almonds and coconut were made for each other in these sweet and gooey bars.

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/2 cup butter softened
• ▢ 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• ▢ 1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• ▢ 1/2 cup maraschino cherries drained and chopped

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Alternately, line the pan with parchment paper or foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, mix the 1 cup flour, butter and powdered sugar until it resembles fine crumbs. Press into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in another medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add in the sugar, flour, vanilla, baking powder and salt and mix until combined. Stir in the almonds, coconut and cherries. Spread over the crust.
• Bake until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Recipe Notes:

adapted from Betty Crocker

More Fabulous Cherry Treats:

Cherry Chip Cake with Fluffy Frosting

Banana Split Bars

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Delights

Around the Web:
Cherry Almond Cupcakes from Cooking Classy
Cherry Chocolate Chip Cheeseball from Shugary Sweets
Chewy Chocolate Cherry Cookies from Mom on Timeout