Teresa’s Bake Shop – Christmas Cookie Extravaganza – 2012

Apricot Almond Bars are delicious cookie bars to die for! There are lots of wonderful apricot preserves and sliced almonds in a thin shortbread-type crust. Every single bite is so scrumptious.  We love these gooey bars and have made them so many times for our Christmas Cookie Extravaganza. This year is no exception. We get a tremendous amount of feedback every time we make these scrumptious bars. Everyone just LOVES them!

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I found this amazing recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook in the early 1990s. I’ve made a few adjustments, but overall it’s still pretty close to the original recipe. Back in the 1990s I rarely tried a recipe without a picture, but this was one where I did. Was my family ever glad that we tried them. We could not resist eating one or two or three of these fabulous cookie bars. And when we started shipping them out to family, they loved them too.

As you can tell, Apricot Almond Bars are one of our favorite cookies that we make each year. We really think you will enjoy them too. They are relatively easy to assemble. The most difficult part is cutting these bars.

They do come out of the pan easier if you refrigerate them first, although I left mine to cool for several hours and didn’t have any problem. As I stated earlier they are a little gooey in the middle so be prepared to lick your fingers as you transfer these goodies from the dish they’re baked in to a plate.

When I initially posted this recipe in November 2012, I was still using an iPhone 3 for a camera so my pictures were a little blurry and not as crisp as I would have liked. Also I used way too many Christmas props so the eyes glazed over from so much stuff. 🙁

I recently remade this recipe (August 2016) and decided to take a few new pictures as well. These bars are so delightful and gooey. If you enjoy apricots you’re bound to love these blondies.

Apricot Almond Bars have always been one of our most requested Christmas Cookie recipes!

Here’s a tray of these tasty treats. We recommend freezing these bars before cutting them because they are quite gooey.

There are lots of almonds amid delicious apricot preserves.

Here’s what I did.

I used these ingredients.

Soften butter. You can also melt the butter. I usually make it half way between softened and melted as it’s easier to work with the crust ingredients this way. Add powdered sugar and UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour. Bleached flour toughens cookies. 

Stir to combine.

Pat mixture in bottom and up sides of greased 9×13″ baking dish. 

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.

While crust is baking prepare  apricot filling: add eggs to a mixing bowl. Add sugar, vanilla, softened butter and apricot preserves.

Whisk all the ingredients together and set aside. Once the crust comes out of the oven you will pour the apricot mixture over top and then cover with sliced almonds.

Add apricot mixture over top of hot, baked crust. Spread carefully.

Sprinkle apricot mixture with almonds.

Bake about 20 minutes at 350. Cool completely before cutting into bars. I usually refrigerate or freeze these bars before cutting as the bars are too gooey to work with otherwise.

Apricot Almond Bars are great gifts during the holiday season. But these ingredients are easy to purchase any time of the year so you don’t have to confine yourself to making these tasty treats only during the holidays!

If you enjoy the flavor of apricots, you’ll love these bars.

Here’s the recipe.

APRICOT ALMOND BARS

(Recipe adapted from the Taste of Home Cookbook 1994 edition—but not the annual cookbook series)

Apricot Almond Bars

Teresa Ambra

Apricot Almond Bars are a family favorite recipe. These rich, decadent and spectacular bar-type cookies have a crust layer, an apricot filling and they're topped with lots of sliced almonds. Great for holiday baking or as a dessert any time of the year.

3.95 from 20 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Cookies, Brownies and Bars, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 24

Calories 143 kcal

Equipment

• 1 9x13" glass baking dish
• 2 large mixing bowls
• 2 wooden spoons
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• 1 electric mixer if desired

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

CRUST:

• 1 1/2 cups UNBLEACHEDall-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened

TOPPING:

• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 8-10 oz. apricot preserves
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter softened
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 to 1 cup sliced almonds as desired

Instructions

 

CRUST:

• In a mixing bowl, beat flour, confectioners' sugar, and butter.
• Pat into the bottom and ½ inch up the sides of a 9x13” baking pan that has been sprayed well with cooking spray.
• Bake at 350° oven for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned.

TOPPING:

• Beat egg, granulated sugar, apricot preserves, butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth.
• Spread over hot crust.
• Sprinkle evenly with almonds.
• Bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes or until set.
• Cool.

Notes

NOTE: I usually freeze or refrigerate these bars in order to cut them. They are quite gooey otherwise.

 

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.

 

^© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 143kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 8mgPotassium: 42mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 223IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg

Keyword almonds, apricot, brownie, cookie, dessert

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Apricot Almond Bars are rich, decadent and scrumptious!

These luscious bars are an excellent choice for dessert any time of the year!

Apricot Almond Bars are the real deal. We love them.

You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!

Apricot Thumbprint Cookies

Apricot Cream Cheese Cookies

Apricot Pie Crust Cinnamon Rolls

Apricot Almond Bars

Teresa Ambra

Apricot Almond Bars are a family favorite recipe. These rich, decadent and spectacular bar-type cookies have a crust layer, an apricot filling and they're topped with lots of sliced almonds. Great for holiday baking or as a dessert any time of the year.

3.95 from 20 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Cookies, Brownies and Bars, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 24

Calories 143 kcal

Equipment

• 1 9×13" glass baking dish
• 2 large mixing bowls
• 2 wooden spoons
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• 1 electric mixer if desired

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

CRUST:

• 1 1/2 cups UNBLEACHEDall-purpose flour bleached flour toughens baked goods
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened

TOPPING:

• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 8-10 oz. apricot preserves
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter softened
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 to 1 cup sliced almonds as desired

Instructions

 

CRUST:

• In a mixing bowl, beat flour, confectioners' sugar, and butter.
• Pat into the bottom and ½ inch up the sides of a 9×13” baking pan that has been sprayed well with cooking spray.
• Bake at 350° oven for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned.

TOPPING:

• Beat egg, granulated sugar, apricot preserves, butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth.
• Spread over hot crust.
• Sprinkle evenly with almonds.
• Bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes or until set.
• Cool.

Notes

NOTE: I usually freeze or refrigerate these bars in order to cut them. They are quite gooey otherwise.

 

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.

 

^© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 143kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 8mgPotassium: 42mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 223IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg

Keyword almonds, apricot, brownie, cookie, dessert

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!