Carney's Culinary Creations: #26 Cherry Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

So I have never tried Cherry Mash candy. But! Someone asked me last week to find a good recipe and make some (homemade). I already had most of the ingredients, so I thought, why not? It can't be too hard.

Wrong. When attempting to make the inside of the candy, the whole "bring to a boil, and boil for five minutes" thing never happened for me. Instead, I just burned it all. The supposed-to-be pretty, white mixture was a nice golden brown. That went straight in the trash. With that being said, I didn't even get to the part when you mix in the cherry chips! So, I had both cherry chips and dark chocolate chips for the coating left over. What else to do but improvise?

In the end, I was okay with the Cherry Mash disaster. (If you want to try them and not fail like me, here's the best recipe and tutorial I found: Kelli's Kitchen Cherry Mash Candy.) I also think my fellow church-goers were approving of these cookies. I took them to my Sunday school, and luckily for me, they were almost all eaten!

Dare I say it - these have a very promising chance of being even better than Cherry Mash candy! They're so easy to make, and they were a hit with everyone who tried them.

They are so moist and full of flavor - I already want to make more. So go ahead and give them a try. You know you want to. Also note that even after making these, I STILL have cherry chips and dark chocolate chips left, so the cherry-chocolate combo is not quite over...Another recipe will probably be coming soon. But until then, do yourself a favor and enjoy these.

Cherry Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Prep Time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 25 minutes. Total time: 35 minutes.

*Yields: 9 x 13 pan, about 18 squares

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup cherry chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed about 1-2 minutes. Add in eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract, mixing until well combined.

3. Slowly add in flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until just combined and flour is no longer visible. Fold in cherry chips and chocolate chips.

4. Pour and press dough into prepared baking pan. Bake 22-25 minutes until golden brown and baked through.

 5. Let cool completely and cut into squares.