Cherry Pecan Coconut Bars

Ahhh.... I finally took a little well-deserved time off to do some basket weaving with my friends Faith, Dar, and of course, Basket Master Nancy. Nancy offered to help me figure out how to weave a "Peanut Basket turned into a Prayer Basket", for which we had no pattern. Nancy generously provided pizza for our evening of weaving, so I offered to bring dessert. I whipped up my chewy, buttery, Cherry Pecan Coconut bars for all of the ladies to enjoy. Below is my recipe...

Chewy Cherry Pecan Coconut Bars
Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
Filling:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup chopped pecans (but you could substitute walnuts)
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained and quartered
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I use Mexican vanilla)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare crust: Combine flour, powdered sugar, and butter in medium sized mixing bowl. Cut butter into flour/sugar using a pastry blender or two butter knives. Press mixture into an 8" square baking pan. Bake 18-23 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from oven.
3. Prepare filling: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. (I added the cherries last, because I was afraid the whole thing would turn pink... not that this is necessarily a bad thing!) Spoon on top of crust and spread evenly.
4. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

5. Cool completely before cutting into bars. This recipe will make 16 bars of chewy goodness. Be careful to make them right before your event if they are a contribution to a potluck or a party. The have a tendency to disappear very quickly!

Hugs and blessings~

~~~Anne

How to Make Cake Mix Cookies ~ $5.00 + 90 Minutes = 6 Dozen Cookies!

"Wife," my husband (a Realtor) said to me the other evening. "I'm having a big open house this weekend. Do you think I should serve cookies?" As wives around the world know, this translates to "Anne will be baking on Friday." I just feel grateful that he gave me a couple of days notice instead of letting me in on the secret the night before the event!

Anyway... For about $5.00 and in 1 1/2 hours, I whipped up 6 dozen cookies, and ended up with a kitchen that was cleaner than when I started my baking. Yeah, me!

I discovered "cake mix cookies" a couple of years ago. I've modified the traditional method a bit, so I'm calling this rendition "Auntie Anne's Creative Cake Mix Cookies". Below the recipe you'll see some flavor combinations I have tried (today was old-fashioned chocolate chip and "Almond Joy"), but the possibilites are only limited by your imagination :-)

"AUNTIE ANNE'S CREATIVE CAKE MIX COOKIES"

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix (any flavor)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup "stir in" (chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, etc. This is where the "creativity" occurs!)

Directions:

1. Combine cake mix, oil, eggs, flour, and vanilla in a bowl and mix thoroughly. (Mix will look greasy. It's supposed to look that way.)
2. Stir in your "stir-in".
3. Roll a rounded teaspoon sized amount of dough into a ball and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.
5. Upon removing from oven, let cookies stand on sheet for two minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.
   
   

These are my "Almond Joy" Cookies. I used chocolate cake mix, almonds and coconut. I substituted almond extract for the vanilla.

These are "plain and simple" chocolate chip cookies. Yellow cake mix with chocolate chips.

Other flavor combinations I've tried:

• Devil's food with peanut butter chips
• Strawberry with chocolate chips
• Yellow with white chocolate chips and macademia nuts (a fan favorite!)
• Carrot cake with coconut and pecans
• Spice cake with raisins and walnuts
• Chocolate with Andes mint chips
• Cherry chip with chocolate chunks

Hugs and blessings~

~~~Anne