Dried cherries and toffee bits work wonderfully together in this recipe for Cherry-Almond-Toffee Bars that also features toasted almonds.
Nonstick cooking spray
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup toffee bits (such as Heath or Skor)
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
3/4 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
3/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1-1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 325°. Coat a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl to aerate and combine. Stir in toffee bits until coated, then set aside.
Toss together chocolate morsels, cherries, and almonds in a small bowl, then set aside.
Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with a flat paddle on medium-high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar gradually and continue beating on high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl once or twice; beat in vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, again scraping down the bowl once or twice.
Turn the machine off, add about one-third of the flour mixture, then beat at low speed. Gradually add the remaining flour, mixing just until blended. Stir in half of the chocolate-cherry-almond mixture. Spread into the prepared pan.
Bake 15 minutes, or until the dough turns golden brown around the edges and top but is not fully cooked. Scatter the remaining chocolate-cherry-almond mixture evenly over the top. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes longer, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Set the pan on a rack to cool completely. Cut into 2-inch squares. (Bars may be stored at room temperature in an airtight container up to 1 week.)