Fresh apricots are best in this recipe but you can use canned, frozen or jarred in a pinch. Be sure to drain and/or thaw first. Dried apricots, apricot jam and apricot preserves are not our first choice for this recipe.

There’s no need to peel the tender skin. Simply remove the pit and dice the fruit into chunks.

The crust mixture is super easy to make in a food processor.

These bars are best kept in the refrigerator until just about ready to serve.

They’re great with or without the simple icing.

Apricot Bars travel well and can be cut into smaller squares for an easy-to-eat handheld treat.

About one-third of the crust mixture is used to make the crumble topping. Add pecans, oats and brown sugar then spread clumps of the mixture on top of the sweetened apricots.

While eating warm Apricot Bars is completely worth the risk of burning the roof of your mouth, these bars actually cut cleaner and neater if allowed to cool completely and are then chilled. But if eating warm, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

The bars will soften over time due to the juiciness of the apricots. However, they still hold together well and taste fantastic!

Ingredients

Apricot layer:

½ cup granulated sugar (110g)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 pounds fresh apricots diced (do not peel) about 10 apricots or 5 cups
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Crust:

1 cup granulated sugar (222g)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups all-purpose flour (378g)
1 cup cold butter cut into cubes (226g or 16 tablespoons)
1 large egg lightly beaten

Crumble topping:

reserved crust mixture from above
⅓ cup pecans (34g) finely chopped
½ cup old-fashioned oats (40g )
2 tablespoons light brown sugar packed (28g)

Optional icing:

1 cup powdered sugar (115g)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk more or less for desired consistency

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375℉. Lightly grease a 13×9 inch pan and line with parchment paper leaving excess hanging over the sides for easy removal. Set aside.

Prepare the apricot mixture:

In a medium mixing bowl combine 1/2 cup sugar with the cornstarch. Add the diced apricots and vanilla. Fold together with a spatula until combined. Set aside while preparing the crust.

To prepare the crust:

In the bowl of a food processor combine 1 cup of the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the egg and process again until blended.
Press two-thirds of the crust mixture into the prepared pan (about 575 to 600 grams). Set aside the remaining crust mixture for the crumble top.
If you don’t have a food processor prepare this mixture using a pastry blender / cutter.

Prepare the crumble topping:

Add the pecans, oats and brown sugar to the remaining crust mixture. Mix together with a fork until blended.
Pour the apricots and any juices over the bottom crust in the pan. Spread to cover evenly.
Using your hands, press together handfuls of the pecan oat mixture to form small clumps. Scatter the clumps and any remaining crumbled topping over the fruit layer leaving some apricots showing through. Break large clumps into smaller pieces.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the apricot juices are bubbling around the edges. Tent the pan with foil to prevent over-browning during the last 10 minutes if needed.
Cool completely then chill before cutting into squares. Once cut store leftovers in an airtight container between layers of wax paper. Bring to room temperature before serving.

To prepare the optional icing:

To serve with a drizzled icing, whisk together the icing ingredients. Pour into a small sandwich bag and cut a tiny corner of the bag. Lightly drizzle each bar as desired.
You can also dust the bars with powdered sugar in place of the icing if desired.

APRICOT BARS