Treasure Chest Bars

A co-worker gave me this recipe about 28 years ago. I think she found it in a magazine around the holidays. My kids like having them on the Christmas Cookie Tray. It wouldn't be Christmas without them for my oldest. (The other kids have their favorites.) This is a bar cookie with cherries, nuts and chocolate chips

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Yields: 36 bars

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• 2  cups flour
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 3⁄4 cup milk
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 2  eggs
• 6  ounces chocolate chips (I like semisweet.)
• 1  cup maraschino cherry, drained and chopped
• 1  cup  chopped  nuts (I like walnuts or pecans.)

• Icing

• 2  cups powdered sugar
• 2  tablespoons  soft butter
• 2 -3  tablespoons milk
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄2  unsweetened chocolate square

Directions

1. Preheat oven 350 Grease and flour 15x10x1" jelly roll pan.
2. Cream butter, white sugar and brown sugar.
3. Add flour, baking powder, salt, milk, vanilla and eggs.
4. Blend at medium speed until smooth.
5. Stir in cherries, chocolate chips and nuts.
6. Spread in pan.
7. Bake 25-30 minutes until lightly browned.
8. Icing: combine powdered sugar, butter, milk and vanilla.
9. Spread on warm bars.
10. Drizzle 1/2 square melted unsweetened chocolate over bars.
11. Cool and cut.