Apricot Coconut Pecan Bars are one of those ooey, gooey recipes you just can’t get enough of. It consists of a shortbread crust with coconut added, then a layer of apricot jam topped with pecans and more of the shortbread crust crumbled over top serving as a streusel. It’s absolutely incredible and one of those rare finds you are grateful to stumble across.

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Those of you who follow my blog know that I’ve been trying to clean out my pantry. I’ve got a couple of shelves of chips, candies, nuts, marshmallows and other baking goods I’m trying to eliminate as a result of overstock from Christmas baking.

I’ve also got several jars of apricot jam I want to use up because I overestimated how many I would need for making my Apricot Cream Cheese Cookies and Apricot Almond Bars last Christmas. So here is another recipe using lots of apricot preserves, coconut and pecans and they are scrumptious, indeed.

I was overjoyed when I ran across this recipe buried in my huge family recipe cookbooks. I actually found this in a recipe file at a garage sale probably 20-30 years ago. I have no idea who the author was or where she copied the recipe from. The writing appears to be from the 50s or 60s but it could be older than that.

I combed through each recipe in the recipe file looking for recipes that were different from what I already had and saved the ones I thought showed promise. Apricot Bars was one of them. Because I already have several Apricot Bar recipes I saved this one as Apricot Coconut Pecan Bars since that shows the main contents of this delicious bar.

Apricot Coconut Pecan Bars are cookie bliss! This heavenly recipe is incredible to the tastebuds let alone to the sense of smell. I’ve adapted the recipe somewhat so it’s not exactly as written. My guess is this recipe came out of a cookbook somewhere. I’m sorry I don’t know the origin so I could give credit.

All I can say is Apricot Coconut Pecan Bars are a delicious, gooey, scrumptious recipe that’s great for any kind of occasion including holiday baking (like Easter coming up), birthday parties, potlucks, picnics, or to take along to gymnastics practice, or if you’re going to be out shopping for awhile! 🙂

If you’re looking for a way to use up leftover apricot preserves or jam (homemade or otherwise), consider trying out this delectable recipe. These don’t take too long to whip up and they’re not overly difficult. The taste and texture of the bars are amazing – quite a bit like the ooey gooey texture in Ooey Gooey Butter Cake, yet it’s a fruity gooeyness instead of a cream cheese gooeyness. You will have to hide these bars carefully if you expect to have any left!

When I initially posted these exquisite dessert bars in March 2013, I had yet to begin using my Canon camera. The pictures were not particularly clear and the presentation a little on the busy side. I’ve been remaking all my first-year blog recipes to get better pictures, and this one came up for remake in June 2016.

I took them to a New Member’s Luncheon at our church along with my Apple Crisp. Word came back that everyone loved them, and since both of these desserts are a little on the gooey side they’re usually a hit wherever I bring them.

I did refrigerate the bars before cutting, but they are still gooey. You may want to freeze them in order to get good cuts before serving, if you prefer.

Oh, my! Apricot Coconut Pecan Bars are heavenly! Maybe a better name for these fabulous bars should be Ooey Gooey Apricot Bars!

You can really see the gooey texture of these bars in this picture. If you like apricot jam you will love these cookie bars. Apricot Coconut Pecan Bars are a great treat for Easter and other holidays.

These luscious bars are filled with apricot preserves and coconut making one really sweet cookie.

Be prepared to devour these in no time. If you enjoy apricots, you’ll love this dessert.

Here’s what I did.

I used these ingredients.

Soften butter. Put in large mixing bowl. Add sugar, an egg, vanilla and sea salt.

Mix ingredients with an electric mixer or whisk until smooth.

Add UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour. Bleached flour toughens cookies. Add coconut.

Stir ingredients with a wooden spoon to combine. Using an electric mixer at this point toughens cookies. Reserve about 1 1/4 cups cookie mixture for topping. Set aside.

Pat remaining cookie mixture into a greased or sprayed 9×13″ baking dish.

Spread an 18-oz. jar of apricot preserves over top. Do your best to smooth it over the top but you won’t fill in every spot. No worries. The jam will spread when baking. Sprinkle chopped nuts over top. I used pecans because I was trying to use them up, but walnuts, pistachios, or almonds would work fine too.

Crumble the reserved cookie dough over the top.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Cool COMPLETELY before trying to cut these gooey cookies into bars. Actually they came out of the pan quite easily, but don’t try to do it while still warm or they may fall apart on you. I highly recommend either refrigerating or partially freezing the cookies prior to cutting.

Apricot Coconut Pecan Bars are great treats to take along for family picnics, baseball practice or games, or to your next office party.

Consider adding these fantastic bars to your list for holiday baking and family reunions. Are you drooling yet?

These bars are easy to make and a delight for summer holiday fare. They’re also great for your Christmas baking list.

Here’s the recipe.

APRICOT COCONUT PECAN BARS

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These cookies sure had me salivating!

These bars are so delicious. If you like an ooey, gooey bar, you will love Apricot Coconut Pecan Bars.

Time to dig in!

You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!

Apricot Cream Cheese Cookies

Apricot Almond Bars

Apricot Shortbread Bars