Chocolate, Cherry and Almond Bars
Adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens 100 Best Cookies recipe.
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour*
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
6 oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (or about 1 cup of chips)
3/4 cup dried sweetened tart cherries
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine flour and almond flour and set aside.
In your mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Lower the speed, and mix in the flour mixture until all is combined. Mixture will be crumbly.
Press 2/3 of the mixture evenly in the bottom the prepared pan, reserving 1/3 for the topping. Cover the mixture with a sheet of plastic wrap, and “roll” it flat using the can the condensed milk comes in. Remove the plastic wrap and set the pan aside.
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the condensed milk until it is hot, stirring constantly. When milk is hot, add the chocolate in increments, stirring constantly until each installment is melted before adding more. When chocolate is all melted, stir in the dried cherries. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Working quickly, pour the chocolate mixture over the prepared cookie base and smooth it out evenly, covering the entire pan. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top of the chocolate layer. Crumble the remaining 1/3 of the cookie dough over the sliced almonds.
Bake at 350° for 35 minutes, or until the crumble topping is golden brown. Let the cookies cool completely before removing the slab from the baking pan and slicing it into bars.
*Almond Flour – pulverize 1/2 cup whole almonds in the food processor or coffee mill until very finely ground.
Note: I first made these bars for a holiday cookie exchange, and named them "Merry Cherry Christmas Bars" for the occasion.
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour*
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
6 oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (or about 1 cup of chips)
3/4 cup dried sweetened tart cherries
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine flour and almond flour and set aside.
In your mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Lower the speed, and mix in the flour mixture until all is combined. Mixture will be crumbly.
Press 2/3 of the mixture evenly in the bottom the prepared pan, reserving 1/3 for the topping. Cover the mixture with a sheet of plastic wrap, and “roll” it flat using the can the condensed milk comes in. Remove the plastic wrap and set the pan aside.
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the condensed milk until it is hot, stirring constantly. When milk is hot, add the chocolate in increments, stirring constantly until each installment is melted before adding more. When chocolate is all melted, stir in the dried cherries. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Working quickly, pour the chocolate mixture over the prepared cookie base and smooth it out evenly, covering the entire pan. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top of the chocolate layer. Crumble the remaining 1/3 of the cookie dough over the sliced almonds.
Bake at 350° for 35 minutes, or until the crumble topping is golden brown. Let the cookies cool completely before removing the slab from the baking pan and slicing it into bars.
*Almond Flour – pulverize 1/2 cup whole almonds in the food processor or coffee mill until very finely ground.
Note: I first made these bars for a holiday cookie exchange, and named them "Merry Cherry Christmas Bars" for the occasion.
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