Coconut Almond Cherry Bars

By cecelia26_

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, very chilled, cut into small pieces
• Filling: 1/2 cup egg whites, room temperature (about 4 large eggs)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-7 oz box Odense Almond Paste, grated
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 (14 oz) package sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling

Details

Adapted from odense.com

Preparation

Step 1

To prepare crust:
1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2.Add flour, sugar and salt to food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until mixed. Add butter and pulse until the texture of fine sand.
3.Add mixture to baking dish and shake until crumbs are evenly distributed. With the bottom of a measuring cup firmly press down on crumbs, until solidly packed. Bake for 15 minutes or until firm to the touch.


To prepare filling:
1.While crust is baking, wipe out processor and add egg whites. Mix until doubled in volume and slightly firm. Add extract, Almond Paste and powdered sugar. Mix until smooth. Add coconut flakes and mix until combined. Transfer coconut mix to a bowl.
2.Wipe out food processor and add pie filling. Pulse until cherries are crushed but not puréed. Spread across crust.
3.Drop teaspoons of coconut mixture on top of cherries evenly filling dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until top is golden and firm.