Decadent Apricot Bars With Coconut Crumble Topping
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This recipe for apricot bars with coconut crumble topping is oh so decadent and fairly simple to make.
The Ingredients
What you need is
- butter
- brown sugar
- flour
- baking soda
- salt
- quick cooking oats
- apricot preserves
- toasted coconut
How to Make the Apricot Bars
Making the bars is not complicated – but you MUST do this step first.
Line the Pan with Foil
Line a 9×9 square baking pan with aluminum foil. Be sure to leave enough foil hanging over the edges so you can lift the whole sheet of bars out of the pan. (Use this baking tip to easily line your pans with foil.)
This is why.
When the bars are hot, they are fairly gooey and very soft. So, you don’t want to bake them directly in the pan.
Also, be sure to grease the foil insert so the bars don’t stick.
Make the Crust
For this apricot bars recipe, the crust does double duty as the topping.
So, in a medium mixing bowl, add in the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and butter.
Cut the butter into the mixture using a sturdy pastry blender like this one by Orblue. (Seriously, I love this pastry blender.)
When the mixture starts to resemble pea-sized crumbs – you can move onto the next step.
Remove a half cup of the crumb mixture and set it aside. You will use it for the topping later.
Take the rest of the mixture and press it with your fingers into your greased, foil lined, pan.
Bake the crust for about 15 minutes.
Prepare the Filling
Pour your jar of apricot jam into a small mixing bowl and stir it up with a spoon.
This step is necessary to make the apricot preserves softer and more spreadable.
Spread the jam evenly over the crust in your pan. Be careful when you spread because some of the crust can sort of come up and get mixed in with the jam. You really don’t want this to happen.
Prepare the Topping
Take the 1/2 cup of crust mixture that you set aside and stir in a half cup of toasted coconut. (This is really easy to make and you can find my toasted coconut recipe here.)
Now take the mixture and sprinkle it evenly over top the jam layer in the baking pan.
Bake for another 15 minutes.
Cool The Bars
When the bars start to turn golden brown around the edges – they are ready!
Remove them from the oven and cool completely in the pan that is set on a wire rack.
If you want them to cool down faster, let them cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Then carefully lift them out of the pan with the aluminum foil “handles”. Be careful because they will be soft.
Place the foil insert on the cooling rack or on a dish in the refrigerator.
Cut into bars when firm and completely cool.
Yum!
Print This Recipe
Apricot Bars With Coconut Crumble Topping
Ingredients
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup quick 1-minute oats
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 12-ounce jar apricot preserves
- 1/2 cup toasted coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Line 9x9 square baking pan with aluminum foil.
- Grease the foil insert.
- In a medium mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Cut the butter into the dry ingredient mixture using a sturdy pastry blender.
- Set aside 1/2 cup of the crust mixture to use for the topping later.
- Using your fingers, pack the crumb mixture into the prepared baking pan, covering the bottom of the pan evenly.
- Bake the crust for 15 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, pour the apricot preserves into a small mixing bowl and stir it up to soften.
- In another small mixing bowl, toss the toasted coconut with the reserved crust mixture.
- Remove the crust from the oven and spread the apricot preserves evenly over the top of the crust.
- Sprinkle the toasted coconut and crumb mixture over top of the preserves.
- Return to oven for about 15 minutes or until topping starts to brown slightly.
- Cool bars completely in the pan on a wire cooling rack.
- When completely cool, lift the bars out of the pan using the aluminum foil insert.
- Remove the foil, and cut into rectangles.
What are Some of Your Favorite Dessert Recipes?
Do you have some favorite recipes for dessert bars – something out of the ordinary? Tell us about it in the comments below.
