Today is one of the first of many guest posts to get us geared up for Valentine’s Day. It’s all about spreading the love, and I figured that there would be no better way than to have a few of my favorite bloggers help out. Each one is so sweet, full of delicious recipes to share and loads of fun to get to know. I know you all will just adore Kristy, and hopefully you’ll follow her site if you aren’t already…
Hello Sweet Basil readers! I’m Kristy and I blog over at Sweet Treats & More. I’ve been reading Carrian’s blog for a while now and we met in person a few months ago when I spotted her at the shopping outlets near my house (turns out we only live five minutes from each other). I instantly recognized her from her blog, approached her (which felt a little stalker-ish) and we carried on a conversation like we’d always been friends.
She’s one of the nicest, most genuine people I’ve met and has become someone I turn to for blog advice and tips. She’s seriously awesome and I love this beautiful blog she’s created!
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I thought I’d make you something indulgent, loaded with chocolate, with a touch of red just for the special day. If you like cherry and you like chocolate, these babies are for you.
These Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars start with an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie base, are topped with a sweet cream cheese layer, cherry pie filling, coconut flakes, and more cookie dough on top. All baked into a very rich and indulgent bar. After all, Valentine’s Day is all about indulging right?
The easy way to make these is using store-bought cookie dough, but if that breaks some cardinal rule of baking you have, you can probably make it yourself. I’ve just been too lazy to try it. I’d just make sure you refrigerate the dough for about 12 hours before using.
Thanks for having me Carrian!
Ooey, gooey cherry chocolate chip bars that are sure win over anyone you want to love. ;)
Ingredients
- Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- 1 (16 oz) package refrigerated Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- 3/4 cups oats
- 8 oz cream cheese, soft
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 (21 oz) can Cherry Pie Filling
- 1/3 cup sweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a large bowl break up the refrigerated cookie dough with (clean hands). Knead in oats and mix until evenly incorporated. Press 2/3 of the dough into a lightly greased 8 X 8 inch square pan, reserving 1/3 of the dough. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the crust is just set.
- In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and set aside. In another bowl the beat cream cheese until smooth with no lumps. Beat in sugar, then stir in vanilla and egg. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the top of the cookie crust.
- Pour cherry pie filling evenly over the cream cheese layer. Evenly sprinkle the remaining cookie dough over the top, then top with shredded coconut.
- Bake for another 20-25 minutes until set or lightly golden. Let cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
Notes
slightly adapted from Allrecipes
I'm Carrian, and my family and I love to cook, bake, and enjoy time together. We believe that with a little help and a point in the right direction everyone can be successful in the kitchen. At our house everyone is family, and we hope you'll join ours. Click 
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I’ll have to try this.
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These bars looks amazing, Carrian!
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these are stunning! I want to sink my teeth right in!
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Gorgeous color! And I like how ‘loaded’ they are….
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Sweet Basil Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 10:56 am
Seriously! Loaded is always a good thing.
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Thanks for having me Carrian!! Can’t wait to see more Valentine sweets:)
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I just love the colors in them! So beautiful!!
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Oh my goodness! Those bars looks so good, and the colors make them perfect for Valentine’s Day.
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These sound amazing! They look gorgeous too!
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Sweet Basil Reply:
February 7th, 2013 at 10:57 am
As does your Biscoff Fondue. GOOD MERCY!
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How pretty are these?? I love them!
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These look so yummy. I love that they’re not entirely chocolate! The cherries seem to add a nice tartness to them. Plus – I love the red! Very v-day-ish!
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