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Cherry Bars

These easy Cherry Bars have a buttery shortbread crust, topped with a cherry, coconut and walnut filling. This vintage recipe is perfect all year long for every occasion from President's Day to the Christmas cookie platter.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 13 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Cooling time (estimated) 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 33 minutes
Servings 16 bars
Calories 201kcal
Author Toni Dash

Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour regular or measure-for-measure gluten free flour
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1 tablespoon juice from the maraschino cherries
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup coconut use grated and unsweetened
  • ¾ cup walnuts finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup maraschino cherries stems removed and chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 9 inch by 9 inch square pan. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Put butter into a bowl of a mixer and beat on low to soften; about 1-2 minutes.
  • Add 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 cup of flour to the butter. Mix on low to fully combine.
  • Spoon mixture into the bottom of prepared pan and pat down to cover bottom of pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
  • Place mixture in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  • While shortbread crust is cooking, place eggs, maraschino cherry juice, 1 cup sugar, ¼ cup flour, baking powder, vanilla in the bowl of a mixer and mix on low to combine fully. Add in coconut and walnuts and mix on low just until mixed in. Do not over mix.
  • Spoon mixture over the shortbread crust. Place cherries on top of the mixture. Place in the 350 degree oven and bake until set (when toothpick removed is clean, and top has browned) about 30 minutes. Do not over brown.
  • Allow to cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes. Slice and serve. NOTE: the bars slice most cleanly if they've been chilled before slicing.

Notes

Chilling the bars before cutting allows a cleaner cut. 
Storing them
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
 
This recipe was found hand recorded in a Kitchen Scrap Book from 1937 and shared by Mrs. Fred Henslin (Herslin?).

Nutrition

Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 69mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 211IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg