These apricot crumble squares are a great twist on the classic fruit crumble tarts. A simple and easy recipe to make whether you use fresh, canned, or frozen apricots. Also, a perfect make-ahead bite-size dessert you can bring with you to BBQs and parties. This is definitely a crowd-pleaser and a great tea-time snack.
One of the best things about summer is, of course, the variety of summer fruits. Whether you are talking berries, stone fruits, or melons. And, for a person like me who loves to bake fruit desserts, it’s party time. My mind is constantly working on what next to bake with these beauties.
There is so much you can do with apricots from desserts to savory dishes. For example, you can add some apricot puree to vanilla ice cream, or chopped apricot to your salad or grains such as apricot quinoa salad with a honey sauce with fresh herbs. And, you can add apricot to your meat such as apricot chicken, or grilled serve it with grilled chicken breast or pork chops.
Whether you call these bars, crumble slices, or squares, they are really simple and easy to make. In fact, often I get my Rhea to prepare the crumble topping with her hands. And, she finds it so fascinating to just squish the flour, butter, and sugar.
Fresh Apricot Bar Recipe Makes great use of an overabundance of apricots, or revitalizes the flavor of off-season apricots. If you don’t have fresh apricots on hand, substitute apricot jam. If your apricots aren’t very sweet, adjust sugar amount to taste.
Step-by-step: Easy apricot crumble bars
- Preheat oven to 375 °F 190 °C / Gas Mark 5
- Use an 8 x 8 square cake pan or a 7 x 9″ rectangle pan. Line it with parchment paper and make sure you have an excess at the edges so you can pick it out of the pan.Pro tip – I find the square pan makes 16 even squares. But, you can use any pan or dish similar in size.
- In a food processor – add flour, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, spice mix, and cold cubed butter. Pulse a few times – until crumbly. Not too much.Pro tip – We want a crumble with some small pieces and some large pieces of butter. These will give us a good texture and mouthfeel.
- Pour the crumble into two separate bowls – one for the base and one for the top. Pro tip – I use a little extra for the base and less for the topping. This gives a bit more structure to the base so the squares will hold better.
- Top crumble – Keep the bowl for the crumble topping in the fridge to stay cold.Pro tip – The butter in the crumble must be chilled well when added on the top. Otherwise, it will melt instead of bake like a crumble.
- Base crumble – Add the 2 tbsp of milk to the crumble for the base and stir well. Then, pour the mixture into the baking pan. Use the back of a spoon to press it down firmly. Pro tip – The milk makes sure the base is pressed firmly and does not crumble when we cut the squares so don’t omit it.
- Bake the base for 10 mins until lightly golden but not cooked thru. Cool for 5 minutes.Pro tip – We want the base to be partially cooked so it is firm as a base, this way it won’t soak up all the filling juices and crumble apart.
- Fresh Apricots – Wash the apricots, score a cross on the bottom skin, and blanch them in hot water for three minutes. Then, drop them in cold water so the skin peels off easily. Remove skin, chop them into smaller pieces.Pro tip – If using canned or frozen peaches please read the notes above for details.
- In a medium bowl, combine together the sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, salt, and cornflour into the apricots. The cornflour will help thicken those juices nicely. Pro tip – Do not prepare the filling too early. The apricots will give out all the juices and the juices will make the base too wet and soggy.
- Pour the filling over the base and spread evenly. Generously sprinkle the crumble top mixture all over the apricot filling (saved in the fridge). I use my fingers but a spoon works too. Pro tip – The top does not have to be even. In fact, the more uneven it is the better the baked crumble topping.
- Continue to bake in the oven for another 25 to 40 minutes until lightly golden. When done, cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes.Pro tip – If left in the pan for too long the sides may get stuck. Just take a knife and run through the edges.
- Cut into 16 to 18 squares. I get about 16 squares from the square pan and about 18 squares from the rectangular pan.Pro tip – The top is quite crumbly, so do the best you can when cutting. A sharp long knife does a better job than a short blade.
- Make sure the butter is chilled so it crumbles like breadcrumbs otherwise it will cream like cookie dough.
- We want the crumble mixture to have a combination of big and small pieces. This will give us the best texture and stability for our bars.
- Make sure the base is pressed down firmly otherwise the bars will a mess.
- Do not skip prebaking the base this will ensure it is cooked as well as make a firmer, not soggier base.
- Add the filling to the baked base just before baking. Otherwise, the filling will soak into the base and make it soggy.
- You can also add fresh fruit along with the filling to make a fruitier treat. But do not add too much filling or fruit as it will make weeker soggy bars.
- Bake until the crumble has a light golden color but not too dark. Otherwise, the crumble will become hard when cooled.
- Let the crumble cool in the pan for a few minutes or until warm before you cut into it. Cooling will make better and fewer crumbs when cutting.
- Spice mix – There is so much flavor you can add to this and yet simple vanilla on its own works great. In winter I often use pumpkin spice or gingerbread spice in my apricot squares. Cinnamon is another spice that does great here too!
Apricot Bars with Crumble top, Apricot crumble squares,
Why make these bars?
- If you love crumbles, then this buttery goodness is a must-try recipe.
- The recipe is simple and easy to make because we use the same mixture for the base as well as the top.
- I am making apricot desserts but this is good with almost any fruit in season whether it is summer or winter.
- Apricots – The star of the show. And yet, the apricot season, unfortunately, is really short. Today, I am using fresh apricots, but canned or frozen work just as well. And, if you are using frozen apricots, you can keep the amount of sugar the same. However, if you use sweet canned apricots, then I suggest reducing the sugar by half. In fact, the best practice is to taste and see how sweet they are. And, if you are not sure, then half the amount of sugar would work great as a guide.
- White granulated sugar – I like my crumble topping to be a lighter color. So, I prefer to use white sugar. And yet, you can easily substitute with light or brown sugar, using the same quantity. Also, take note that brown sugar contains molasses, so it will influence the taste and flavor.
- Unsalted Butter – I always use unsalted because I like to control the amount of salt I use. And, if you use salted butter that’s fine, just omit salt in the recipe. Also, margarine or veg shortening works as well. And yet, they both will affect the texture of the crumble; margarine has a bit more liquid, so you may need to use a tad less. And, veg shorting will make the crumble topping more crispy.
- Spice mix – There is so much flavor you can add to this, and yet, simple vanilla on its own works great. In winter, I often use pumpkin spice or gingerbread spice in my apricot squares. And, cinnamon is another spice that also does great here. A bit non-traditional, but a pinch of garam masala in winter works wonderfully too.
How to Pick & Prep Fresh Apricots | How to Cut an Apricot Using a Paring Knife
FAQ
Can you freeze raw apricots?
How do you preserve fresh apricots?
What can you do with apricots?
These delicious apricot recipes will have you baking a bubbly cobbler, making jam, tossing a salad or flavoring an exotic stew in no time.
Is it okay to eat apricot kernels in small amounts?
No it is not advised to eat apricot kernels as it contain the substance laetril which can be converted to cyanide. Cyanide is poisonous to the body.
How to eat apricots?
Savor every drop of juice. It is a precious thing, this moment of apricot ripeness, and you will remember it. When harvested and eaten too early, apricots are more crisp and sour, but they can be transformed by cooking: So, if your apricots are tart, plan to use them in desserts or to make jam.
How do you eat dried apricots?
Chop the dried apricots into tiny pieces, for a burst of fruity flavor in every handful. Try to get this in the fridge the night before for the best texture. If you’re short on time, just top some pineapple chunks with chopped dried apricots and some pan-toasted chia seeds for a little crunch and protein.