Double Chocolate Cherry Pie Bars

My love affair with cherries and chocolate goes back decades to when I was a much younger man. My mother would often treat us to a box of chocolate-covered cherries after doing shopping, and she and I would devour the entire thing on the way home. The richness and sweetness were addictive to me, and still follow me all these years later.

These bars are inspired by those chocolate-covered cherries. The crust is made from the most perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies ever, and the white chocolate ganache that the cherries rest on is reminiscent of that wonderful liquid in those candy drops. These bars are super easy to make – they’re not complicated at all and they’re a perfect bring along to any potluck, group dinner, or summer BBQ.

Double Chocolate Cherry Pie Bars

These bars are super easy to make – they’re not complicated at all and they’re a perfect bring along to any potluck, group dinner, or summer BBQ.

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Course: Baking, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 36 servings

Calories: 307kcal

Author: Ben Rayl

Ingredients

 

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for the cookie dough:

• 1 cup butter - softened
• 2 cups brown sugar
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 20 oz packages bittersweet chocolate chips

for the white chocolate ganache:

• 3 cups white chocolate - roughly chopped pieces
• ⅔ cups heavy cream

for the topping:

• 1 21 oz can cherry pie filling
• ⅓ cup sweetened coconut flakes

Instructions

for the cookie dough:

• Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until combined and beginning to fluff.
• Add the egg and vanilla, and mix for about 30 seconds.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder, then add to the wet mixture and mix together until blended.
• Use a large spoon to stir in the chocolate chips.

for the white chocolate ganache:

• Put the chocolate pieces and cream in a small heatproof bowl over a small pot filled with warm water over low heat. Gently stir with a spoon or rubber spatula until melted and combined.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until thickened.

assemble the bars:

• Lightly grease a 9 ½" x 11" baking dish.
• Spread about ⅔ of the cookie dough over the bottom of the dish. Bake for about 12 - 15 minutes, or until the dough is just set.
• Remove from the oven and spread the white chocolate ganache over the top. Gently spoon the cherry pie filling on top.
• Crumble up the remaining cookie dough and drop evenly across the top of the cherries, then top with the shredded coconut.
• Bake for another 30 - 35 minutes, or until set and golden brown. Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate for 3 - 4 hours before cutting into bars.

Nutrition

Calories: 307kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 155mg | Potassium: 212mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 131IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 1mg