Apricot Pie Shortbread Bars

One of the things Lillooet is known for is its apricots. We even have an Apricot Festival every summer to celebrate the fruit. Sue and I always have fun coming up with different apricot recipes to share that are a little different than plain ol' apricot pie. 

Not that there is anything wrong with apricot pie, mind you. It's just nice to have alternatives. 

Search "apricot" in the search bar in the top corner of the blog and you will see we have quite a few unusual and tasty recipes to try. 

This recipe combines the classic flavor of apricot pie with a crispy and buttery shortbread crust. You can't lose, really. It makes a 9 X 13 pan too so makes for a great summer potluck dessert. 

Apricot Pie Shortbread Bars

Ingredients

Crust

3 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar

pinch salt

1 1/2 cups butter, chilled

Filling

1/2 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup flour

4 cups apricots, pitted and diced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9 X 13 pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Prepare crust - stir together flour, brown sugar, and salt. Cut in the cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Remove a cup and a half of the crumbly mixture to use as topping. 

Press the remaining mixture firmly into the prepared 9 X 13 pan.

 Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. While baking, prepare the filling. 

Prepare filling - Whisk together sugar, eggs, sour cream, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and flour. Stir in the apricots. 

Remove the crust from the oven and spread the apricots evenly over the crust.

Spread the reserved 1 1/2 cups crumbs evenly over the filling.

Bake at 350 for 50 - 60 minutes - until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly.

Let cool to room temp before cutting.

You can use the parchment paper to lift the square out of the pan, or serve it directly from the pan. 

Room temp or chilled is the way to go. Of course, whipped cream is always optional!

These freezes okay but does go a teeny bit soggy when it thaws. Not so much soggy really, as just not as crisp as when it comes out of the oven fresh. It lasts a day or two on the counter or in the fridge. 

If you are bringing it to an event then you could get away with making it the day before no problem. 

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