Coconut Cherry Bars

I like these bars because they are sweet and jammy and the crunchy coconut is pretty great, too!  I got this recipe from my mom who got it from her friend Josh.  He's a caterer, so he knows what is good. We have also made them with raspberry jam and they are delicious, of course.

Instructions:

First, make the crust.  Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9''x 13'' baking pan.

Place flour, butter, sugar, almonds, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until combined and mixture is crumbly.

Press crust mixture evenly into prepared pan.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust just begins to brown. Set pan on a wire rack while you prepare the filling.

Now, make the filling:

Carefully spread jam over partially baked crust, leaving about 1/4 inch around the edges.  I know I used more than 1/2 cup!

Place eggs in a mixing bowl and beat lightly. Add sugar and vanilla, and whisk to combine. 

Add flour and mix until combined.

Set aside 1/2 to 3/4 cup coconut. Add remaining coconut to filling mixture and stir to combine.

Transfer filling to partially baked crust, spreading evenly. 

Sprinkle reserved coconut over the top of the filling.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until filling is set and coconut is lightly toasted.  Make sure the top layer is firm and done in the middle.

Cool bars in pan on a wire rack before cutting into bars.

Makes 24 2-inch bars.

Coconut Cherry Bars

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup unsalted butter, cold & cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

1/2 generous cup cherry jam (or any kind of delicious jam)

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup flour

3 cups sweetened coconut, divided

Instructions

To make the crust

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9''x 13'' baking pan.

Place flour, butter, sugar, almonds, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until combined and mixture is crumbly.

Press crust mixture evenly into prepared pan.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust just begins to brown. Set pan on a wire rack while you prepare the filling.

To make the filling:

Carefully spread jam over partially baked crust, leaving about 1/4 inch around the edges.

Place eggs in a mixing bowl and beat lightly. Add sugar and vanilla, and whisk to combine. Add flour and mix until combined.

Set aside 1/2 to 3/4 cup coconut. Add remaining coconut to filling mixture and stir to combine.

Transfer filling to partially baked crust, spreading evenly. Sprinkle reserved coconut over the top of the filling.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until filling is set and coconut is lightly toasted.

Cool bars in pan on a wire rack before cutting into bars.

Makes 24 2-inch bars.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Note: This is a re-post of a recipe I had posted a long time ago.

This recipe is part of my Hero Collection, and it represents my Dad. I chose this recipe because they are my Dad's favorite and he always asks me to make them and snitches them as soon as they are cool enough to touch!

Last fall and winter I made these cookies almost once a week! They always went so fast! And pumpkin is good for you, so don't feel bad for eating them.  They are very simple to make, and we usually have canned pumpkin in the pantry in the fall and winter.  

My Dad is a hero to me because he is funny, kind, loving, wonderful and caring. 

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the flour and chocolate chips, mix well with a wooden spoon.

Doesn't that look like a cranky pumpkin?!

Add in the flour and mix well.  Then add in the chocolate chips and mix until it is all mixed together.

Drop the batter onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment.  I use a large cookie scoop so the cookies are big.  Bake at 350' for 15 minutes.

Let them cool a little on the pan before you move them to a rack to finish cooling.  Then eat them or take some to your neighbors!  They make a great gift and they are perfect for fall!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Ivory Family Favorite Recipes

1 29-ounce can of pumpkin

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup olive oil (or a mixture of olive oil and melted coconut oil)

2 teaspoons nutmeg

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

5 cups flour

2 cups chocolate chips

In a large bowl combine pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, and oil, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt.  Stir in the flour and chocolate chips. Drop scoops of batter onto pans covered with parchment and bake at 350' for 15 minutes. Let them cool on the pan for a few minutes, then put them on wire racks to finish cooling. Enjoy!

Notes: If you use a large scoop only put about nine cookies on a pan. Also, since these cookies are actually the consistency of pumpkin bread, they don't stack well for storing or giving. Lay them in a single layer!

Judi's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our family got this recipe from our neighbor and friend in Las Vegas.  Since she only lived two doors down, she sometimes invited my older sister to come bake with her.  I was very young at the time!  But I do know that she was legendary for making really good treats.  

Judi's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Judi Brennan

3 soft sticks of butter

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

4 cups flour

3 cups chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 350'.

In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, for about 3 minutes. Add vanilla, baking soda, salt, and eggs. Mix well.

Blend in flour. Once it is all mixed together, turn off mixer and add the chocolate chips. Stir them in with a wooden spoon.

Scoop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment.

Let them bake for 10-12 minutes, or until barely done. Then put them on a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

Makes 8 dozen.

Notes: I used an extra 1/4 cup flour because we live at high altitude.

Judi always recommends that you add 1/4 – 1/2 cup extra flour to your cookie recipes (she's already done that for this one) and to always underbake the cookies; they are done when the cookies are just barely dry and the edges are starting to get golden. They will firm up after you take them out.