Apricot Bars

These bars are the perfect way to enjoy apricots or any other stone fruit for that matter if you can’t get your hands on any apricots. The ones I had were quite ripe but still easy to slice. I always love to make something new each time a fruit comes into season and I have been holding on to this one recipe from last year. I was too late to make it then so I saved it for this year. I cannot believe how quickly that year went by - I felt as though I had just saved that recipe the other day. The recipe is from cafefernando. It’s such a good one and I’m so happy to share it with you guys. It’s perfect as summer dessert especially with all the long weekends this summer and all the summer entertaining. You need a dessert like this that is practically no bake and delicious!!

I made a GF crust for the bars which is completely different from the original recipe. This one has less ingredients in it and doesn’t require resting. I used Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour to make the crust and it’s one of their flours I use all the time. It has a super fine texture and nutty flavor which I love in my baking - I especially love it in my crusts when it comes to tarts. It makes a tender crisp crust which is great for tarts, pies, and bars like these. Bob’s Red Mill offers the largest lines of organic, whole grain foods in the country. All of their products are certified kosher and made with ingredients grown from non-gmo seeds and they are available to buy online or in store at Whole Foods and many more.

The filling reminds me of a yoghurt panna cotta filling. It has a bit of gelatin in it to help it firm up without eggs or being baked, making it such a perfect summer dessert that only requires 10 minutes of baking for the crust alone. The filling is light and creamy with a slight bit of tang from the strained Greek yoghurt giving it a bit of a cheesecake kind of vibe, but not as rich or dense. It’s far lighter and creamier as well. What’s better than fresh fruit on a summer dessert? - not too much if you ask me. I did not roast or blanch the apricots because they were ripe enough yet still easy to slice. The glaze over them is tasty and also gives the apricots a delicious sheen that makes these bars look a lot more sophisticated than they really are considering how little effort it took to make them.

They are the perfect treat for the summer and for summer time entertaining as they are simple to make, can partially be made the day before and can be served right out of the fridge. I know you will love them and you can use any stone-fruit for the topping. I love apricots and everything about them so I’m definitely sticking with them at least for this one.

I have partnered up with Bob’s Red Mill to bring you this fabulous recipe, but all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Olive & Mango.

Ingredients

For the crust

• 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, diced

For the yogurt filling layer

• 3 teaspoons (10 grams) powder gelatin (or 4 sheets)
• 3 tablespoons water, room temperature
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (130 grams) sugar
• ⅔ cup (160 ml) heavy cream
• 1½ cups (375 grams) strained yogurt, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the apricot layer and glaze

• 5-7 fresh small apricots (depending on the size), halved and pitted
• ½ cup (150 grams) apricot marmalade
• ⅓ cup water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8” square pan or 9” round pan.
2. To make the crust: Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl, whisking to blend. Add the cold butter, working it in with your fingers or a pastry blender until the mixture is evenly combined and crumbly. You can also make this in a food processor too by pulsing everything together until crumbly.  
3. Empty the mixture into the prepared pan, shake to distribute, and press the crust into the bottom and just up the sides of the pan.
4. Bake the crust until it’s light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
5. While the crust is baking, whisk together the filling ingredients. To prepare the yogurt layer, in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat, stir sugar and heavy cream until the sugar is completely melted. Take off heat and let cool for 10 minutes or so.
6. Place the gelatin in a small bowl, pour the water on top and mix with a fork to fully hydrate it and set aside while the cream is cooling.  
7. Once the cream is cool add gelatin and whisk to combine. Add yogurt, vanilla extract and whisk until well combined. It might look curdled at first but as you whisk it will become creamy and smooth.
8. Pour the yogurt filling through a metal sieve on top of the cooled crust and let cool at room temperature for an hour then loosely cover with aluminum foil and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
9. When the yogurt layer is firm to the touch, slice the apricots, remove the pits and put them on top of the yogurt layer side by side.
10. To prepare the glaze, bring the apricot marmalade and water to a boil, take off heat, strain through a fine-meshed sieve and brush the tops of the apricot halves. Then slice and serve.