Cherry Almond Nanaimo Bars

Ingredients:

Base:

• 1/2 c Butter
• 1/4 c Sugar
• 1/3 c Cocoa
• 1 ts Vanilla
• 1 Egg; beaten
• 1 c Coconut, desiccated
• 1 3/4 c Graham wafer crumbs
• 1/2 c Almonds; chopped

Filling:

• 1/4 c Butter; softened
• 1 tb Cherry juice
• 2 c Icing sugar
• 1/3 c Maraschino cherries; chopped

Top

• 2 oz Semisweet chocolate
• 1 tb Butter
  

Directions:

Base:

1. Cook butter, sugar, cocoa, vanilla & egg in saucepan over low heat heat, stirring constantly until custard begins to thicken.
2. Remove from heat and stir in coconut, crumbs and almonds. Pat firmly into a greased 9 pan inch square pan.
3. Chill for 1 hour.

Filling:

1. Cream butter, cherry juice and extract.
2. Gradually beat in icing sugar to a make a smooth spreading consistency. Stir in cherries.
3. Spread over base and chill until firm.

Top:

1. Heat chocolate and butter, stirring until smoothly melted. Drizzle chocolate over filling.
2. Chill. Cut into bars.