Honey Beach Bars

Every year, my family and I harvest the honey from our bee hives. We scrape off the thin lacing of wax capping, and honey glistens on the frame. It comes in a variety of colors, such as yellow-gold, a deep rust colored gold, and dark brown. It is rich with flavor, a hint of flowers and clover. We spin the frames with honey in a special contraption that shakes all of the honey off, then filter it 3 times. I made a dessert with this honey and entered it into the 4-H fair, where it won the grand champion prize. Enjoy the dessert I created.

Makes approximately 18 bars

Ingredients

Bottom layer:
½ cup / 115g butter
⅓  cup packed  / 75g light brown sugar
1¼ cup / 160g all-purpose (plain) flour

Top layer:
2 eggs
½ cup packed / 110g light brown sugar
½ cup / 170g honey
⅓ cup / 45g all-purpose (plain) flour
1½ cup / 180g dried tart cherries
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup / 30g shredded coconut

Method

1. Heat the oven to 350℉  / 180℃.
2. Crumble first three ingredients together until there are very few lumps, either by rubbing with your fingers or with a quick blast in a food processor. Make sure that there are no huge balls of butter. Gently press the mixture into a 9 x 9”/ 23 x 23cm pan. Bake for 10 minutes. While it is baking, start on the top layer.
3. Beat together the eggs, sugar, and honey, until the mixture is light and thick. Stir in the other dry ingredients and use a spoon to spread it evenly over the baked bottom layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden. Stick a toothpick into the middle of the pan when you think they are ready, and make sure that no batter comes off on the toothpick.
4. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, and cut the bars into equal rectangles.