Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ¼ cups dried tart cherries
- 2 ½ sticks unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup water
- ½ cup carob or cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup flaked unsweetened coconut, toasted
- 2 cups plus 7 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons pineapple vodka
- ½ cup carob or dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter an 8 inch square pan. Line it with parchment leaving a 2-inch overhang and butter the parchment.
- Bring cherries, 2 tablespoons butter, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in an additional ¼ cup of granulated sugar. Set aside.
- Whisk together carob or cocoa powder, salt, brown sugar, coconut, and 2 cups flour. Blend in remaining 2 ¼ sticks butter, cut into small cubes, using a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Press 3 cups of this mixture into the prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, stir together egg, remaining ½ cup granulated sugar, and pineapple vodka until well combined. Stir in the dried cherry mixture as well as the remaining 7 ½ tablespoons of flour. Spread mixture over baked crust.
- Stir the carob or chocolate chips into the remaining crumb mixture and spread over the filling.
- Bake about 50 additional minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bars comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in pan. Once cool, lift out of pan using parchment and cut into bars. Bars may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or frozen, individually, wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the microwave about 1 minute.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes