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Apricot Bars Recipe

The start of summer means a lot of things, one of our many favorites being the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. Even though we are all about using foods after their “best by” dates, there’s nothing like fresh fruits and vegetables straight from the tree, plant or vine. Apricot season is actually about over in California, yet there are ways to capture the fresh taste even if the actual fresh fruit has been around a bit and/or garnered a few bumps and bruises along the way.

Make use of less than perfect fruits, like the harvest shown below, to make an extremely perfect snack bar that empowers the fresh taste of apricot and lets it shine through the entire dish. The fact that these apricots are not the cream of the crop matters not to this apricot bar recipe. Although apricot bars are not the absolute healthiest of snacks, we did try to incorporate some healthy ingredients into this amazing apricot bar. Otherwise known as “fruit and granola in a square”, these bars can satisfy anytime of day from breakfast through dessert.

One of the great things about apricots is that they easily open and release their pit – completely edible with just a simple twist of the hands. Yes, you will want to cut out the bruises and otherwise damaged areas, but the rest of each cot is perfect for chopping and adding to this delicious fruit based bar that tastes like the sweetest freshest apricots possible.

Apricot Bars Recipe

Ingredients

4 cups fresh Apricots (diced)
1/3 cup Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Ginger
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Almond extract
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted Butter, softened
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla

1 cup Flour
1/4 cup whole wheat Flour
1 cup quick Oats
3/4 cup steel cut Oats
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Ginger
pinch of Salt

3/4 cup toasted chopped Pecans

Apricot Bars Recipe

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line a 9×9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
This makes it super easy to lift the entire batch from the pan and place it on a plate for fight-free cutting.

Mix together the first 8 ingredients (apricots, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, almond extract, and cornstarch) in a medium bowl and set aside.This can be done ahead of time, just cover it and place it in the fridge. If left overnight, just pour off any excess juice before using (you’ll only get a spoonful, just stick it in your mouth!).

Mix together flours, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt in another medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat the egg and vanilla into the butter and sugar mixture until combined.

Add in the dry ingredients, beating slowly until just combined.

Add the toasted pecans and mix gently.

Press about 3/4 of the mixture in to the prepared baking pan.

Spread the apricot mixture evenly over the top of the entire crust layer.

Crumble the remaining mixture over the top of the apricots, leaving some visible apricots.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

To prepare apricot bars, let them cool completely and then lift the parchment paper from the pan and cut into squares. If you can’t wait, which we never can, they are also delicious warm (possibly with a little vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for a dessert indulgence). They should last a few days on the counter, but ours have never lasted more than one!

To find out how long apricots last, see our apricot page.

To find out how long other foods are good for, please visit the Dairy, Drinks, Fruits, Grains, Proteins, Vegetables and Other sections of Eat By Date or use the search function below.