Cherry Chocolate Bar Cookies

Raspberry Danish Murder

## Ingredients

* 1 cup white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* ¾ cup salted butter ***(1 and ½ sticks, 6 ounces)***, softened
* 1 large egg
* ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups all-purpose flour ***(pack it down in the cup when you measure it)***
* ¼ teaspoon baking powder
* ½ cup chopped walnuts ***(measure AFTER chopping)***
* 1 jar ***(12 to 15 ounces)*** cherry preserves ***(that's jam with cherries in it)***
* 2 cups flaked coconut, chopped into smaller pieces
* 2 cups ***(12-ounce package by weight)*** semi-sweet chocolate chips

**Hannah's 1st Note: If all you can find in your store is 11-ounce packages of chips, that's close enough.**

## Directions

* Preheat oven to 350°F, rack in the middle position

**Hannah's 2nd Note: You can mix up these bar cookies by hand with a wooden spoon in a large bowl, or with an electric mixer. Either way will work just fine.**

* Prepare a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan by spraying it with Pam or another nonstick cooking stick. Alternatively, you can line the cake pan with heavy-duty foil and spray that.
* Place the white sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the softened butter and mix until light and creamy.
* Beat in the egg, and the vanilla extract. Continue to mix until everything is well blended.
* In another bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and the baking powder. Mix until well blended.

**Hannah's 3rd Note: You can mix the flour and the baking powder with a fork.**

* Gradually add this flour mixture to the sugar and butter mixture. Beat until everything is well combined.
* Mix in the ½ cup of chopped walnuts. Continue to mix until they are well incorporated.
* Press ¾ of the dough into your prepared cake pan.

**Hannah's 4th Note: You can set aside one cup of the mixture and press the rest in the cake pan. That's close enough.**

* Flatten the mixture in the cake pan with a metal spatula or with the palms of your impeccably clean hands.
* Open the jar of cherry preserves. Take off the lid and place the glass jar in the microwave.
* Heat the jar on HIGH for 20 seconds. Let it cool in the microwave for 1 minute.
* Spread the cherry preserves evenly over the mixture in the cake pan. Smooth it out with a rubber spatula.
* If you haven't already chopped your coconut flakes into smaller pieces, do it now. ***(If you have a food processor, use the steel blade to chop your coconut.)***
* Sprinkle the chopped coconut over the cherry preserves as evenly as you can.
* Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the coconut flakes.
* Crumble remaining dough mixture over the top of the chips.
* Press down lightly with your impeccably clean palms.
* Bake at 350°F for approximately 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
* Remove the Cherry Chocolate Bar Cookies from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack.
* Cool completely and then cut into brownie-sized bars.
* Serve with plenty of strong coffee or tall glasses of cold milk.

Yield: Approximately 3 dozen delicious cookie bars.

**Hannah's 5th Note: These are Mother's favorite cookie bars and our customers at The Cookie Jar loved them so much, they've become a permanent part of our cookie menu.**

**Hannah's 6th Note: Sometimes, just to please my chocoholic mother, I frost these cookie bars before I cut them into pieces. I usually use my Neverfail Fudge Frosting recipe because it is so quick and easy.**