Cherry Almond Nanaimo Bars Food

CHERRY NANAIMO BARS

Steps:

• Heat 1/2 cup butter, white sugar, and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir just until butter melts, about 2 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in beaten egg. Return pan to stove; cook and stir until cocoa mixture thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat.
• Stir graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and walnuts into cocoa mixture. Press mixture firmly into an ungreased 9x9-inch baking pan.
• Beat 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, cherry juice, and almond extract in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth; stir in cherries. Drop cherry mixture by spoonfuls over base layer, then spread evenly. Let cherry mixture layer stand until slightly firm, about 10 minutes. Using your hand, pat cherry mixture layer to smooth.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over low heat; stir in chocolate chips. Cook and stir mixture until melted and smooth, about 3 minutes. Pour chocolate mixture over middle layer. Working quickly, smooth chocolate with the back of a spoon. Chill before cutting into bars, about 30 minutes.

CHERRY ALMOND NANAIMO BARS

Steps:

• Bottom Layer: Cook butter, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and beaten egg in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in coconut, graham crumbs and almonds. Pat firmly into 9 x 13 pan. Chill for at least 1 hour.
• Filling: Cream butter, cherry juice and almond extract. Gradually beat in icing sugar to make a smooth spreading consistency. Stir in cherries. Spread over the first layer in the pan. Chill until firm.
• Top Layer: Heat chocolate and butter, stirring constantly until smoothly melted. Drizzle chocolate over filling. Chill.

CHERRY ALMOND NANAIMO BARS

Steps:

• Base:.
• Melt margarine, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and egg in saucepan over low heat stirring constantly until it begins to thicken.
• Remove from heat and stir in coconut, graham cracker crumbs, and chopped almonds.
• Press into greased 9x9-inch pan.
• Chill 1 hour.
• Filling:.
• Cream butter, cherry juice, and vanilla.
• Gradually beat in, with hand mixer or by hand, icing sugar to make a smooth spreading consistency.
• Stir in chopped cherries.
• Spread evenly over chilled base.
• Chill until firm.
• Topping:.
• Heat chocolate and butter over medium heat until smoothly melted. Drizzle over filling.
• Chill.
• Cut into 30 bars with sharp knife pressing down gently to break the drizzle first then drag to slice.

CHERRY ALMOND BARS

Steps:

• HEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottom and sides of 8 x 8-inch pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Coat lightly with no-stick cooking spray.
• STIR together flour, brown sugar and salt until mixed. Add oil, water and almond extract. Combine with fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pat evenly in bottom of prepared pan.
• BAKE 15 minutes.
• SPREAD preserves evenly over warm crust. Mix almonds, brown sugar and oil until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over top of preserves.
• BAKE 20 minutes. Cool completely. Lift out of pan using foil. Cut into 16 bars. Store in refrigerator.