While on my little 'almond' kick today I saw this recipe in my files and grinned. Cherry AND almond? In a bar!? Yum! My oldest daughter was asking me to make bars today (actually she begged me to make them last night but I told her I'd do it today instead while she was in school...) and this is looking like a top contender!!
*edited 8/20 to update after I made them and uploaded a photo!
Cherry Almond Nanaimo bars
½ cup Butter
¼ cup Sugar
⅓ cup Cocoa
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Egg; beaten
1 cup Coconut, shredded, sweetened
1¾ cup Graham wafer crumbs
½ cup Almonds - chopped
2 cup Powdered sugar
⅓ cup Maraschino cherries; chopped
¼ cup Butter; softened
1 tablespoon Cherry juice
drops of almond extract and vanilla extract
2 ounce Semisweet chocolate
1 tablespoon Butter
Cook butter, sugar, cocoa, vanilla & egg in saucepan over low heat heat, stirring constantly until custard begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in coconut, crumbs and almonds. Pat firmly into a greased 9 pan inch square pan. Chill for 1 hour.
Cream butter, cherry juice and extract. Gradually beat in icing sugar to a make a smooth spreading consistency. Stir in cherries. Spread over base and chill until firm.
Heat chocolate and butter, stirring until smoothly melted. Drizzle chocolate over filling. Chill. Cut into bars.