FAST AND EASY CHERRY CHOCOLATE BARS
Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks of butter, cut into small pieces
9 oz. semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces (like Baker's chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips)
2 Tbsps light corn syrup
1 lb whole meal biscuits, crushed (such as English digestive biscuits, or graham crackers)
2 Tbsp fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
1 Tbsp pecans, chopped
Method:
Butter an 8-inch square pan on the bottom and up the sides. Or, line the pan with foil and butter the foil for each clean ups.
Place the butter, chocolate and syrup into a large saucepan.
Place the pan over low heat and stirring constantly, cook for 5 minutes until melted and smooth.
Crush the biscuits in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. When crushing the biscuits, be careful not to crush them too finely. The biscuits give these bar cookies their main texture.
Remove the pan with the chocolate mixture from the heat and stir in the biscuits, cherries and pecans.
Press the mixture into the buttered pan. Even out with the back of the spoon or your hands.
Refrigerate until completely cool. Then cut, wrap and freeze.
Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Makes 6 servings
These little bars make a great afternoon snack. Pull one or two out the freezer and let thaw over the morning to enjoy in the mid-afternoon with a cup of piping hot coffee.
They are also ideal for a brown bag lunch treat. You can vary the fruit, such as raisins, craisins, dried cherries or blueberries. You can also change the nuts (walnuts, almonds, peanuts) and the chocolate can be dark or white. Experiment with various combinations to find ones your family likes best. They will certainly not complain about being your taste testers!
Preparation Time: about 10 - 15 minutes