Apricot Bars

APRICOT BARS
www.RecipeGirl.com

SHORTBREAD LAYER:
1 cup flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

APRICOT LAYER:
2/3 cup dried apricot halves, chopped finely
1/3 cup flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
½ cup chopped toasted walnuts
powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 8×8 pyrex with nonstick spray.

2. Prepare shortbread layer: Blend flour, sugar and salt in food processor. Add butter gradually and process until coarse crumbs form. Press crumbs onto bottom of prepared dish. Bake until center is golden, about 25 minutes. Keep oven heated.

3. While shortbread layer is baking, prepare apricot layer: Place apricots in small saucepan, and add enough water to cover them. Boil until soft, about 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.

4. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into small bowl. Beat eggs with an electric mixer in large bowl. Add brown sugar and vanilla, and beat until thickened. Stir in flour mixture, then nuts and apricots. Gently spread over the baked shortbread layer.

5. Bake bars until puffed and dark brown. Toothpick inserted into topping should come out with a few crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.

6. Cut uniformly into desired size. Transfer to waxed paper or rack w/ paper towels underneath. Sift powdered sugar over bars. Enjoy!

Yield: 18 bars

Cooking Tips:
*The best way to cut bars to uniform size is to figure out how many even rows you can cut- 3 to 4, and then cut rows the other way.

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“Made this one for a teacher luncheon. They loved them! They were a little difficult to cut into neat squares. I think I tried to cut them before they were completely cooled.”
-Prospect, KY