Cherry Ripe Bars

Cherry Ripe Bars 

For the dough

175g plain flour

2 tbsp cocoa

100g caster sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

100g unsalted butter, softened

50ml cold milk

For the cherry filling

600g glacé cherries

125g condensed milk

150g desiccated coconut

2 tsp vanilla extract

250g dark chocolate, chopped

Take a square cake tin – one with a removable base, ideally – butter the insides well and cover the base with a square of nonstick baking paper.

Put the flour, cocoa, sugar and baking powder in a bowl and rub in the butter until it's utterly worked through and all the lumps have gone. Add the milk, and mix to a soft, even dough, then press this into the base of the tin firmly and evenly.

Heat the oven to 350F bake for 15-20 minutes, or until set and dry on top. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

To make the filling, put 400g of the glacé cherries in a food processor and mince very finely (or do it by hand if you have the patience and don't mind the stickiness). Mix in the condensed milk, coconut and vanilla until you have a smooth, pink, coconut paste. Cut the remaining cherries in half, stir them through the mix, then spread it evenly over the chocolate base. Return the tin to the oven, bake at the same temperature for a further 25 minutes, or until it's starting to firm and go golden on top. Remove from the oven and leave until cold. To finish the bars, melt the chocolate, spread this over the top and leave until cold before cutting into squares.

If you cant get cocoa substitute replacing 3/4's of butter with melted chocolate.