Growing up my mom would make these awesome apricot-walnut pinwheel cookies. They were the first cookies gone off of the treat plate. But they were a bit of a mess to make and the jam leaked our and was prone to burning. These bar cookies capture the same taste combination with less mess (win-win!)
They have become one of the family’s new favorites.
Apricot Pecan Bars
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Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 36
Ingredients
- Apricot Pecan Bars
- Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups finely chopped dried apricots or dates
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur, optional
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream the butter, 1/2 cup sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a thick rectangle; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm or overnight.
- In a small saucepan, combine the apricots, water, remaining sugar and, if desired, liqueur; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; cook until liquid is almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in pecans if desired; cool completely.
- Pat 1/2 of dough into a 9×9-in. baking pan. Evenly spread the apricot mixture over the dough. Crumble remaining 1/2 of dough over the apricot jam mixture. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.
- Bake at 350° for ~20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Cut into ~ 1 1/2 inch squares.
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