Cherry Chewbilees

Crust:
1 cup walnut pieces, divided
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup softened margarine
1/2 cup flaked coconut

Filling:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

Coarsely chop 1/2 cup of the walnuts for topping; set aside. Finely chop remaining nuts.

Combine flour, brown sugar and margarine until crumbly. Work in finely chopped nuts and coconut. Remove and reserve 1/2 cup of crumb mixture. Press remainder firmly on bottom of prepared pan. Bake 12 - 15 minutes or until edges start to brown.

For filling: Beat cream cheese with the sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Spread over crumbs. Bake 18 minutes. Remove from oven. Spread pie filling over cheese layer. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture and nuts over top of cherries. Return to over for 18 minutes longer. Cool to lukewarm. Refrigerate for several hours before cutting into 2 x 1 1/2-inch bars.

Yields 36 bars.

Refrigerate leftovers. These tend to be a little soft at room temperature.