Cherry Chocolate Marzipan Bars

Fruit forward dessert bars comprised of an almond scone base, topped with layers of chocolate ganache, marzipan, and a fresh cherry chia jam.

#fruit #seasonal #soyfree #gf #vegan

One of the beauties of summertime is the abundance and variety of the fresh fruit. On varying occasions we have been lucky enough to have more cherries, peaches, and Valencia oranges than we can eat. The solution to such a fortunate problem ... bake! The excess peaches made an excellent crisp (see fresh peach crisp), a Valencia orange recipe is coming soon, and here is the cherry creation. Enjoy taking full advantage of the summer fruit!

1 9x13 inch baking dish

Ingredients:

Cherry Chia Jam Layer:

24 ounces fresh cherries, pitted and halved

3 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 lemon, juiced

3 Tablespoons chia seeds

Almond Scone Base:

1 ¼ cups almond flour

1 cup chickpea flour

6 Tablespoons coconut sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup coconut yogurt

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

Ganache Layer:

10 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

5 ounces non-dairy milk (I used vanilla oat milk)

10 ounces Marzipan

Sliced almonds

Directions:

1. First make the cherry jam: Place the cherries, maple syrup, and lemon juice in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the chia seeds. Allow the jam to cool to room temperature.

2. While the jam is cooling, make the almond scone base. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and oil a 9 x13 inch baking dish.

3. Place the almond four, chickpea flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Using your fingers, press the dough into the bottom of the baking dish (it helps to oil your fingers first!).

4. Now make the ganache: place the chocolate and milk in a microwave safe bowl and place in the microwave for 1 minute. Remove and stir. If the chocolate is not completely melted, return to the microwave heating in 30 seconds intervals, stirring in between, until chocolate is melted and smooth.

5. Spread the chocolate ganache evening over the almond scone layer.

6. Divide the marzipan in two and place one marzipan at a time between two sheets of wax paper. Using a rolling pin, roll out the marzipan into a thin rectangle, about the size of half the baking dish. Trim as necessary to fit the dish, saving the scraps. Place the marzipan rectangle in the dish over the chocolate ganache and repeat the process with the second marzipan. Fill in any empty patches with the marzipan scraps.

7. Now spread the cherry jam evenly over the marzipan. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and bake for 25-30 minutes. Once the dish is cool enough to touch, place in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours before cutting into squares.