Chocolate-Cherry Fudge Bars

These bars are rich and sinful. They're also really pretty. I made them for a lingerie shower for a friend of ours back during the summer and they were a huge hit. With the pink of the icing and the red of the cherries, I thought they'd be perfect during this Valentine's week for company we were having over.

I'm pretty sure this recipe came from one of those Kraft supermarket recipes booklets - you know the kind, the ones in the checkout line with the pretty pictures screaming out BUY ME BUY ME BUY ME, and of course I'm usually hungry when I'm in the grocery store, so it's not real uncommon for me to get suckered into buying these books.
Anyways, this is a good recipe that I definitely will continue to make.
Chocolate-Cherry Fudge Bars

4 squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 pkg. (4-serving size) chocolate instant pudding
3/4 cup chopped maraschino cherries with 7 Tbsp. of the juice reserved, divided
2 oz. (1/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Grease foil. Set aside.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add granulated sugar; mix well. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and dry pudding mix; mix well. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cherries and 1/3 cup of the reserved cherry juice; spread into prepared pan.

Bake 30 to 35 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool in pan on wire rack.

Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and remaining cherry juice until well blended. Drizzle over cooled dessert; top with remaining 1/4 cup cherries. Use foil handles to remove dessert from pan before cutting into bars. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.