Fresh Apricot Bars
Apricot bars are one of our favorite desserts to make when they’re sweet and in season. If you can find a good apricot jam, that works great too.
Fresh Apricot Bars
Lately it seems our cooking at home has been driven by an over abundance of ingredients. Creativity from Copiousness, if you will. Not that we are complaining. Quite the opposite really, we couldn’t be happier. The garden is going blitzkrieg with its tomato production but we’re hoping the rats don’t get to them before we do. Driving up to Palm Springs a couple weeks ago we spotted the Dowling Fruit Orchard stand on the fringes of one of their orchards. We both looked at each other, not even needing to say that on the way home we must stop there.
Lucky, on our way back we had just made it, 5 minutes before close! Flats of peaches for less than $10. Flats that tasted like home garden picked. Mounds of apricots. Watermelons. Oh the fruits in all their glory! We snatched up as much as we figured we would be able to eat in a few brief minutes, not wanting to delay the hard working staff in getting them home.
Amazing Fresh Apricots
We ate, sucking juices as we bit, nearly half the flat of peaches on the way home. Probably would have ate it all if it weren’t for the apricots in all their deliciousness.
Once back home, the boxes of recently purchased tastiness now had to compete with the garden’s bounty. With the apricots life short lived, we made these fresh apricot bars to enjoy them a little longer. Hope you love them as much as we did. The apricots were briefly cooked to help break them down, then pureed and spread over, and baked with a crisp type of crust with the oats, butter, and brown sugar. It is a great way to use up an abundance of apricots. If you happen to get some apricots which are bit of a let down in straight snacking ability, these apricot bars will give them a chance to regain glory.
-Diane & Todd
2019 Update: Since that trip we planted a Blenheim Royal apricot tree. We’re now indulging in home grown apricots that are sweet like candy. And using all the extras for our apricot bars!
This recipe was originally published in 2013 and re-published in 2019.
Fresh Apricot Bar Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs (910g) ripe Apricots , cut in half & seeds removed
- 3/4 cup (150g) sugar , or to taste
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier), optional
- 1 cup (125g) flour
- 1/2 cup (110g) packed brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 cup (113g) cold unsalted butter (1 stick) , cut into small cubes
- 1 cup (90g) old fashioned oats
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 2 quart baking dish or 10" tart pan.
- Combine the apricots and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the apricots are soft (will vary tremendously depending on the ripeness of the apricots-very ripe apricots will only take minute or two - very firm apricots may take up to 10 minutes or more). Stir in the orange liqueur.
- Puree the apricots in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour into a bowl and set in freezer to chill while you make the crust.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, salt, and baking soda. Pinch in the butter pieces into the flour mixture (or cut them into the flour with a pastry cutter), until it resembles coarse sand. Pinch in the oats until well combined.
- Press 2/3rds of the crust mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish (if using a tart pan, press the crust mixture up the sides too). Spread the apricot puree over the crust bottom. Sprinkle the remaining crust over the top of the apricot puree.
- Bake for 50-65 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.Allow to cool, then slice and serve. Store in the refrigerator.
I actually like going to Palm Springs during the summer months. Intense heat. Poolside drinks. Brunch beneath misters. Not sure if I could handle hiking though 😉
This summer has been all about apricots for me, so I am LOVING these bars. Need to try this.
One of my favorite summer desserts is fruit bars like this. My current favorite is my recipe for blueberry bars with an almond crumble, but I like the addition of oats in this, more like a breakfast treat. How do you think this recipe would do with rehydrated dried apricots?
http://www.theneverendingstomach.com/
That’s one of the best things about spring… so much delicious fruit to enjoy! I can see myself making this with apricots, peaches, or any fruit that is ripe and sweet. Thanks! 🙂
What a perfect way to use up those apricots. These bars are gorgeous!
Lovely idea as I, too, am an apricot lover. Baked them today, very tasty but I think I would have liked a firmer filling. They cut nicely once refrigerated but still too jam like in the center. Any suggestions for a denser filling? A nice topping for ice cream, however.
I make a version of these based on Martha Stewart’s Cranberry Crumble bars, but I use my home-canned apricot cardamom butter instead (it’s the same process as cooking down and pureeing the apricots in this recipe, but it is gently simmered until the excess moisture in the apricots evaporates. Apricot puree thickens really nicely naturally, and I usually can cook down a small batch of apricot butter in about 10-15 minutes. (Plus, if you make extra or have any left over, it’s delicious on cornbread, biscuits, or grilled chicken!)
Like to add flaked coconut to firm up the purée- @ 1/2-3/4 cup to the 2.5 cups of purée.
These photographs are so, incredibly gorgeous… I’m obsessed with them! 🙂 Such a lovely post.
We usually just eat fresh apricots…rapidly. But your bars recipe have inspired me to take the leap, and bake with them. Thanks!
Killer recipe! What is it about apricots that make them so special?
Thank you for the suggestion about using jam. I am not in a stone fruit season yet, so jam is a great alternative to get that sweet tartness. I had the same problem with mangoes last season, so many that we had mango puree pouring from the fridge!
We don’t get a lot of fresh produce here, but it looks good to try with some of the turkish apricots I just bought!
This sounds incredible. I might try a variation with all the yummy peaches we’re getting here NY right now!
I have never actually had an apricot, but I am pretty sure I would them. especially if they were stuffed into this incredible looking bar. Oh my gosh, I love the way these look. So good!
I love apricots. Good apricots are hard to come by in my neck of the woods. I’ll have to find some so I can make this, it looks delish!
mmmm, yum! I absolutely love apricots 🙂
No chance of fresh ones now in the middle of winter, but there might still be some cooked ones lurking in the freezer…
I’ve somehow gone through life never making anything with fresh apricots, and this is definitely the recipe to change that. Looks lovely!
Creativity from Copiousness – love that. I could use some of that inspiration when it comes to my own pantry. I need to thin the stash.
The bars are gorgeous. And I love how you made almost a Grand Marnier infused jam with them with cooking/pureeing them first. I’ve only ever added whole fruit to crumbles/bars. I love your idea.
Congrats on your KitchenAid shoot, too!