These simple Apricot Crumble Bars are a delicious sweet treat!
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Apricot recipes are a tribute to my grandparents. I remember they always had a bowl of fresh apricots in the kitchen, and dried apricots to snack on.
I did not appreciate apricots back then, but now I love them.
Whenever I am at the grocery store and find the large piles of apricots, I take a big inhale and the distinct smell takes me right back to dancing in my grandma’s high heels in the kitchen with my sisters.
I am sure they would have loved all of these apricot recipes!
I made a variation of these Apricot Crumble Bars when I was visiting my sisters in Oregon.
We made Mixed Berry Crumble Bars, which has a different pastry recipe, and my 3 year old nephew helped!
This is a great recipe to include kids in the cooking process. There are a lot of simple steps like mixing, and they love pressing the dough into the pan!
Now fruit crumble bars are requested regularly!
These Apricot Crumble Bars are made even more special with a homemade apricot jam.
Jarred jam will work well, but if you have the ability to make homemade jam, it is noticeable!
Using Almonds in these Apricot Crumble Bars
A classic flavor pairing for apricot is almonds.
To add some almond without using extract, part of the dough base is made with a little almond flour. If you do not have almond flour, you can replace it with the same amount of regular all-purpose flour.
Another trick for using almond flour is to grind up some sliced, slivered, or whole almonds in a food processor to make your own! Just don’t let them process too long because you will start to get homemade almond butter!
Just keep an eye on the almonds as they grind and when it looks like coarse cornmeal, you are good to go!
You can also add some almond extract to the dough mixture. I would start with 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon (it is strong!).
I also loved the addition of the diced dried apricots in the Apricot Crumble Bars.
The dried apricots brought more texture to the bars, but can be easily skipped.
The flavor will still be there from the delicious jam!
Equipment
- Baking dish (9x13 inches)
- Mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour (or replace with additional all-purpose flour)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 18 Tablespoons butter (2 sticks plus 2 Tablespoons) (softened)
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup almonds chopped finely (toasted preferred)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 cup apricot jam
- 4 ounces dried apricots diced (1/2 cup)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice (or orange)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper or foil. Spray the dish with non stick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, sugar, and salt. Using a stand mixer or electric mixer, beat 16 Tablespoons (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) of butter at low speed into the flour until it is incorporated and looks like wet sand. (Alternatively, do this in a large bowl with your fingers, squishing the butter into the flour).
- Remove one cup of the flour mixture for the topping and set aside.
- Take the remaining flour mixture and press it into an even layer across the bottom of the dish.
- Bake the bottom crust in the dish until the edges just start to brown, approximately 15 minutes.
- While the bottom crust is baking, combine the reserved flour mixture, oats, almonds, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter to the almond mixture and pinch it to combine, making clumps of the streusel. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the apricot jam, diced apricots, and lemon juice. Stir to combine.
- When the bottom crust has been removed from the oven, spread the apricot jam mixture across the warm crust. Then sprinkle the streusel mixture across the top.
- Bake the crumble bars for approximately 20-25 minutes until the top is browned and the edges of the apricot mixture are bubbling.
- Let cool completely or until just slightly warm, approximately 2 hours. Use the foil or parchment to remove the bars from the dish and cut into pieces. Re-warm if desired in pieces or as a whole. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.
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