Chocolate Chip Maraschino Cherry Almond Bars

🧂 Ingredients

• 1 c butter

  (2 sticks - salted, melted and cooled slightly)
• ¾ c cocoa
• 2 c sugar
• 4 large eggs

  (at room temperature, divided - 3 eggs and 1 egg portions)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ⅚ c all-purpose flour

  (divided - 1 ½ c and ⅓ c portions)
• ⅓ c slivered almonds

  (reserve 1 tablespoon to sprinkle over topping)
• 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 c chocolate chips
• 1 c maraschino cherries

  (rinsed, dried, chopped)

Instructions

• 1 Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and generously grease, or
  spray with non-stick cooking spray, a 9 x 13 baking pan (or line with parchment
  paper for easy removal from the pan).
• 2 In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine melted butter
  with cocoa. Add sugar, 3 eggs, vanilla and stir, then add 1 ½ cup of the flour
  and almonds. Combine until the flour is incorporated into the batter.
• 3 Pour into your greased 9 x 13 baking pan and bake for 20 minutes.
• 4 In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the remaining 1 egg with ⅓ cup flour, sweetened
  condensed milk, and almond extract.
• 5 Pour the top layer over the chocolate base layer after it has baked for the
  first 20 minutes. Sprinkle the topping with milk chocolate chips, chopped
  maraschino cherries, and remaining slivered almonds.
• 6 Return to the oven and bake an additional 20-25 minutes, or until the topping is
  set and the edges of the topping layer turn golden brown.
• 7 Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan, on a wire cooling
  rack. Once cooled, refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours. Cut into small squares
  for serving. Keep bars refrigerated when storing.

Nutrition Info