Cherry Almond Nanaimo Bars - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Base
1/2 cup margarine
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 medium egg (beaten)
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup almonds (chopped)
Filling
1/4 cup margarine (softened)
1 tablespoon cherry juice (from maraschino cherries)
2 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup maraschino cherry (chopped)
Topping
2 ounces semisweet chocolate (2 squares)
1 tablespoon margarine

Preparation

Base:
Melt margarine, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and egg in saucepan over low heat stirring constantly until it begins to thicken.
Remove from heat and stir in coconut, graham cracker crumbs, and chopped almonds.
Press into greased 9x9-inch pan.
Chill 1 hour.
Filling:
Cream butter, cherry juice, and vanilla.
Gradually beat in, with hand mixer or by hand, icing sugar to make a smooth spreading consistency.
Stir in chopped cherries.
Spread evenly over chilled base.
Chill until firm.
Topping:
Heat chocolate and butter over medium heat until smoothly melted. Drizzle over filling.
Chill.
Cut into 30 bars with sharp knife pressing down gently to break the drizzle first then drag to slice.