I need to use up some cherries

I've been making fewer pies and tarts so the cherries I picked, pitted and froze are aging and I can't let that happen.  We had a pot luck at work so I tried a recipe from "Taste of Home".   They called them Cherry Chewbilees but I didn't find them to be chewy and so I'm renaming them Cherry Cheesecake Bars.  I made a couple of modifications though, which are reflected in the recipe.


Cherry Cheesecake Bars

CHERRIES:

4 cups frozen sour cherries

1 cup sugar

¼ cup corn starch

CRUST AND TOPPING:

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 cup chopped walnuts, divided

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 egg

CHEESECAKE FILLING:

2 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Drain the juice from the cherries, keeping the juice and reducing it down to approximately half the original volume.  Mix the sugar and corn starch thoroughly.  Add the cherries and sugar mixture to the reduced cherry juice and bring back up to boiling and the mixture has thickened.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13x9-in. baking pan with foil, letting ends extend up sides; grease foil.

Combine flour and brown sugar in a food processor, then add butter until fine crumbs form. Stir in 1/2 cup nuts, egg, and coconut. Set aside 1/2 cup crumb mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture into prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 12-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, for filling, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Spread over hot crust. Bake 15 minutes. Spread cherry filling on top. Combine remaining nuts and reserved crumbs; sprinkle over cherries. Bake 15 minutes more. Cool. Lifting with foil, remove mixture from pan. Cut into bars.