Food and Friendship

Santa Barbara

craving a summer sweet? try these fruit bars

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Recently we sent our little granddaughter a Pez dispenser — remember those?  She’d apparently seen one that a pre-school classmate had and was curious about it.  Also, in answer to our zoom query about what we could bring her on our next visit, she replied “candy hearts.”  So what’s a grandma to do?

You know the answer.  However, her mother, being the good mom she is, was not thrilled — she rightly prefers to satisfy her little one’s sweet tooth with something healthier than Pez or candy hearts.  Her message was clear on that zoom call: “Ix-nay on the andy-cay!”

That quickly became our newest motto.  Message received.

The appearance of stone fruit came just in time and we made these delicious apricot crumble bars last week. No need for Pez or candy hearts when these are fresh out of the oven, warm, crumbly, and tasting like summer.

5.0 from 1 reviews
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Apricot Crumble Bars
Author: 
 
I was surprised at how easily this recipe came together -- it was very satisfying to see these minimal amount of ingredients combine so naturally and easily. You'll see what I mean if you try it -- any stone fruit will do, but we liked the tang of apricots that beautifully balances the sweetness of the crumble.
Ingredients
  • For the crust and crumble:
  • 14 tablespoons unsalted butter (not a misprint)
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ cup slivered almonds
  • 1 tablespoon ice water
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Filling:
  • 2 tablespoon bourbon (oh now I see why I like it, but you could substitute orange juice or vanilla)
  • 3 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 pounds unpeeled sliced apricots (You could use less -- original recipe called for 1.5 cups but I like the extra fruit so I increased the amount. It will cut smoother and look crisper if you just use 1 pound of apricots, but it will taste fruitier with 2 pounds! :))
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. (This is important - you'll thank me!)
  2. Cook butter over medium heat, stirring until it turns a medium brown, about 5 minutes.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together brown butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until combined.
  4. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a separate medium bowl then add to butter mixture and fold in until well-incorporated.
  5. Reserve ¾ cup of dough for topping -- mix in a bowl with slivered almonds and ice water until combined and keep chilled until ready to use.
  6. Press remaining dough evenly into bottom of prepared pan and bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.
  7. For the filling, combine bourbon, 3 tablespoons sugar, and sliced apricots in a bowl. Let stand for 20 minutes, tossing occasionally.
  8. Using a slotted spoon, spoon apricots over cooled crust, leaving most of the juices behind.
  9. Sprinkle fruit with the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and then crumble the reserved dough over the filling.
  10. Bake for another 38 minutes until topping is golden and filling is slightly bubble.
  11. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
  12. Just before cutting, chill in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the refrigerator for about an hour.
  13. Carefully lift parchment and place bars on a cutting board; cut into squares with a sharp knife.
  14. I stored the bars in the fridge but it's not necessary unless you like your crumble bars cold like I do!