Grandma's Famous Cherry Chews

My Grandma Mary is famous for making all sorts of good eats. Desserts, in particular, are her specialty and her Cherry Chews are no exception.

What, exactly, are Cherry Chews? You ask.

I'll tell you. Cherry Chews would probably be best described as a bar cookie. They have a crumbly, sugary, buttery crust with a soft and chewy coconut-pecan center. And to top it off, all of the aforementioned gets topped with a brilliantly pink, cherry icing.

Sounds delicious, no?

YES!

Oh! And these cookie bars would make a great Valentine's Day gift for that special someone if you're into that kind of thing. I'm just sayin'.

Let's bake, baby!

Here's what you'll need:

First Layer:

• 1 Cup of All Purpose Flour
• 1 Cup of Rolled Oats
• 1 Cup of Brown Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
• ¼ Teaspoon of Salt
• ½ Cup (1 Stick) of Butter, Melted

Second Layer:

• 2 Eggs
• 1 Cup of Brown Sugar
• ½ Teaspoon of Almond Extract
• 2 Tablespoons of Flour
• 1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
• ½ Teaspoon of Salt
• ½ Cup of Pecan Halves
• 1 Cup of Shredded Coconut
• 12 oz. Jar of Maraschino Cherries, Drained (juice reserved)

Icing:

• Juice From the Jar of Cherries
• Powdered Sugar

Sounds like a lot of ingredients, I know, but believe me when I tell you that it's worth it!

First we need to make the cookie crust. Pre-heat your oven to 350°F.

Like all good things in life, we need to start with the butter.

Huh?

Melt the stick of butter in a medium bowl.

Meanwhile, measure the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt.

Add the dry ingredients into the melted butter.

Grab a spoon and stir everything together until you have a moist and crumbly mixture.

Dump the mixture into a greased 9" x 13" pan.

Use your fingers to press the crust into a nice, even layer.

Pop the crust into the oven and bake it for 10 minutes.

While the crust is baking, mix up the second layer.

Drain the jar of cherries over a measuring cup or bowl. Be sure to save the juice because we'll need it later.

Measure the brown sugar and dump it into the bowl of an electric mixer.

Crack two eggs into a bowl.

Measure the almond extract and add it to the eggs.

Pour the eggs and extract into the brown sugar.

Beat all three until just combined.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt.

Beat again.

Now add the drained cherries, the pecans and the coconut.

Mix everything one final time until it's just combined.

By now, the cookie crust should be out of the oven.

Pour the egg mixture out onto the baked crust.

Spread it around making sure it covers the entire crust.

Pop the dish back in the oven and bake it for another 25 minutes.

In the meantime, let's make the delicious and perfectly pink icing.

Grab the cherry juice you set aside earlier.

Also, grab a handy-dandy sifter and place it over the cherry juice. Sift the powdered sugar into the cherry juice a little at a time.

Stir the juice and sugar together with a fork or whisk. The goal is to end up with a thick, yet pour-able icing so add sugar as necessary until you achieve the right consistency.

When the cherry chews come out of the oven, let them cool for about 10 minutes or until they are still warm but not piping hot. Then pour the glorious pink icing all over the cherry chews.

Spread it around so that the entire pan is covered in bright pink goodness.

I absolutely love the little, red, jewel-like cherries peeking out from the sea of pink.

Now for the hardest part of the entire recipe. Are you ready for it? You must wait until the cherry chews cool completely and the icing sets before you can cut them. You absolutely have to for two reasons:

1. The icing must have time to seep and soak into all the little cracks and crevices of the bars.
2. The icing and bars must have time to firm up in order for them to stay whole when you cut them apart.

Patients is key. You can do it! I believe in you.

When the icing has had plenty of time to soak in and set up, you may now cut the cherry chews into squares.

Could these look any prettier? Can you see why they'd make a great gift for that special someone on Valentine's Day? I rest my case.

There is a darn good reason that Grandma's Cherry Chews are famous. They are so delicious! The myriad of textures from the oats, coconut, pecans and cherries is incredibly palate-pleasing and the flavors of the cherry and brown sugar combined are to die for.

Enjoy!