Cherry Chocolate Bars

Have you ever had one of those days where you just need to bake something? No? Well I do, perhaps more than I care to admit, and today was one of them. I was tired of studying for finals, tired of the dreary, rainy weather that made me have to cancel my hike with a friend. But baking makes everything better! Trust me on this one.

I had set my mind on making Swedish Almond Bars, but we were all out of almonds. Also I was running low on Swedes, although those are optional. They really improve the flavor though... (insert laughter here).

So I decided it was improvisation time. Oh wait, that happens every day around here because I fail at keeping a well-stocked pantry. But sitting there on the shelf was a lovely bag of dried cherries, just begging to be used. "Eat me!" they cried. You know you're in trouble when the produce starts to talk to you.

I decided to listen to the little voices because, really, cherries and chocolate? What could be a more perfect pairing? Also, cherries and almonds have a similar flavor due to the same chemical, benzaldehyde, present in both cherry stones and almonds. So maybe some cherries would help soothe my almond craving.

Science lesson of the day: Benzaldehyde is cool.

So let's go, people. It's time to make some delicious, delicious science.

First step: melt a stick of butter. All good recipes start with butter, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Mix in a half cup of granulated sugar, a tablespoon of honey, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a quarter teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Forgive the lack of pictures, I was in baking nirvana. It's a lovely place.

Crack in two eggs. If you really want to be like me, accidentally drop the shell in and then proceed to fish it out with a fork.

Next comes a quarter teaspoon of salt, and a cup and a quarter of flour. The dough is going to be pretty stiff, so you have to use a little oomph. Mix that dough! Work those arm muscles!

Now comes the best part - the chocolate and the cherries! You need a half cup of each. I would recommend using dried sour cherries, which you can get at most grocery stores. If you use the really sweet ones, the bars will be overpoweringly sugary. I also roughly chop the cherries before adding them, so they mix in more thoroughly. 

Grease a 13x9 pan and pour your batter in. You will have to use a spatula to spread it around. Make sure you get all the corners and spread it evenly, because it is going to be a very thin layer. Don't make this in any smaller of a pan, even if it seems like you don't have much batter, because these bars are quite dense, and a thicker layer won't cook evenly.

Then, sprinkle about a half teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon on top. Complementary flavors, man. It's a beautiful thing.

Bake them in a 325 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. You'll know that they're done when the edges start to look brown and pull away from the sides of the pan, but the top is still lightly colored.

Let them cool for at least 20-30 minutes before you cut them, or else they will fall apart! I like to cut these in pretty diamonds. An easy way to do this is to cut a diagonal slice corner to corner, then evenly slice several parallel lines on either side. Turn the pan and do it all again, and voila! Diamonds!

These turned out fantastically. They are dense but not too rich, with a nice bite from the sour cherries and, of course, chocolate! I set them out in the dining room next to the coffee pot - they are the perfect little treat to have with a nice cup o' joe - and they were gone in the blink of an eye.

Cherry Chocolate Bars

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 T. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. dried sour cherries, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13x9 pan.

Melt butter in a microwave-safe mixing bowl. Add sugar, honey, vanilla, and spice or cinnamon. Mix thoroughly and allow to cool a little. Add eggs and beat to combine. Mix in salt and flour, combining well. Add chocolate chips and cherries, mix, and pour into pan.

Sprinkle spice or cinnamon lightly and evenly over top. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until edges are slightly brown and pulling away from the sides of the pan. Let cool before slicing into diamond shapes.

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