Every time I see cherries in the grocery store on sale I pick up a bag.  Then when I get home, I stare at it and try to think of things to do with it other than just shove them all in my mouth at once.

Totally never done that. 

I know I can make pie or cobbler but I was feeling lazy and didn’t want to turn on the oven.  Yes, turning on the oven is taxing.

I wanted to try a no bake cherry treat and I honestly had no idea what I would make but I started throwing things into my food processor and hoping for the best.  These freezer bars were the result and I have to say they are pretty tasty. 

Also, I’m weirdly proud of the title.  Because I used sunflower butter I decided to be cute and add sunny into the name.  Adorable, right?  I know.  Try not to explode from the cuteness.  Or run away because I’m weird.  Please don’t run away.

Two tips for these bars.  First, keep them in the freezer until you’re ready to eat them.  I kept some in the fridge and while they didn’t totally melt, they were a little squishy when I went to eat them.  Not horrible but not desirable.  Second, let the bar sit for about five minutes outside of the freezer before digging in.  If you don’t wait you might break a tooth and I don’t want to be responsible for your dentist bill.  I’m still paying off my cat’s medical bills and I ain’t made of money friends!

Sunny Cherry Bars 

Base Layer- 

• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup quinoa (NOT cooked)
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 tsp sea salt 

Cherry Layer- 

• 2 cups cherries, pitted
• 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for an hour
• 1/3 cup full fat coconut milk
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Sunflower Butter Layer- 

• 1/2 cup sunflower butter
• 1/2 cup coconut butter (NOT coconut oil) 

1. Make the base layer- In a frying pan, dry toast the quinoa until lightly brown and fragrant.  Move to a clean plate to cool.  Add the rest of the base ingredients to a food processor and pulse a few times.  Add the quinoa and pulse until you have a dough-like ball.  Line an 8 x 8 dish with a little coconut oil and parchment paper, making sure there is a little hanging over the sides.  Press the base into the bottom of the dish in an even layer.  Place the dish in the freezer while you make the rest of the bars.
2. Make the cherry layer– Drain the cashews and place in a blender.  Pulse a few times until the cashews are broken up.  Add the rest of the cherry layer ingredients and blend until completely smooth.  Pull out the 8 x 8 dish and spread the cherry cream over the top of the base.  Place back into the freezer.
3. Make the sunflower butter layer– Combine the sunflower and coconut butter in a small saucepan and heat over low until smooth and drippy.  Pull out the 8 x 8 dish again and swirl the sunflower layer into the cherry layer.  I just drizzled the sunflower layer over the top and then used a chopstick to swirl everything together.  Put the dish back in the freezer and keep there for an hour until everything is frozen.
4. Pull the dish out and pop the whole thing out by pulling up on the parchment paper.  Let this sit for a few minutes, then carefully use a very sharp knife to cut it into bars.  Keep in an airtight container in the freezer until you’re ready to eat.