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This is summer fruit at its best! Our juicy, sweet and tart Apricot Bars Recipe is a great way to finish to any summer gathering.
Here’s What You Need to Know…
- 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!
Apricot Season
Apricot season is unfortunately a very short one. It runs from late spring to early summer or May through mid-July. Apricots and peaches seem to share the same space at the grocery store so if you see one, you’ll often see the other.
If you find apricots in the stores, grab them while you can. I love baking the season and these bars are the perfect solution to using up fresh apricots.
Fresh Apricot Bars Recipe Made in 4-Easy Steps
This is a brief overview of the recipe. For a detailed step-by-step printable recipe card, scroll to the bottom or click below:
Jump to Recipe1. Apricot Filling
- Mix the apricot ingredients together and set aside while preparing the crust.
2. Make the shortbread crust
- Add the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon to the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and process until mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the egg and process again. Press 2/3 of the mixture (about 600 grams) into the prepared baking pan.
3. Prepare the crumble topping
- Add the pecans, oats and brown sugar to the remaining crust mixture. Using your hands, press some of the mixture together to form small clumps. Sprinkle and scatter the topping and clumps over the fruit layer leaving some apricots showing through.
4. Bake, cool, cut and serve
- Bake for about 45 minutes in a pre-heated oven until browned and bubbly. Tent with foil to prevent over-browning if needed.
- Cool the bars completely then refrigerate before cutting for best results.
Serving Apricot Bars
If planning to serve on a plate with a fork, feel free to cut these apricot dessert bars a little larger. When serving at a potluck, picnic or barbecue you may way to cut the bars into small squares that are easy to grab and eat out of hand. Also, when cut smaller they’ll serve a lot more people making them great for a crowd.
I like to dust the bars with a little powdered sugar but also love the simple (optional) vanilla icing drizzled on top. You decide!
Storing and freezing fresh Apricot Bars
Once cut store these dessert bars in the refrigerator layered between pieces of wax paper in an airtight container. They should keep well for up to 5 days in the fridge. However, the crust will soften over time but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They still taste fantastic and hold together well so no worries.
Freeze leftovers in an airtight container between layers of wax paper for up to 3 months. Thaw the bars at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
Loving Fresh Apricots
I love the flavor of apricots. Whether they’re fresh, dried or in a jar of preserves, the sweet, tart flavor really sings. Some people think they’re like a cross between a peach and a plum. They are unique for sure and worth trying at your next opportunity!
Apricots are easy to bake into anything that calls for peaches or plums. This recipe was inspired by our super popular Fresh Peach Crumb Bars recipe. Think Apricot Crisp, cobbler, cake or jam. We love using diced dried apricots in layered, buttery scones. Enjoy ❤️
Apricot Bars Recipe
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.
Recipe Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Bars can be frozen well sealed for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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