Mom made her luscious apricot squares every Christmas. She put them up in cookie tins and then put this tin along with her many Christmas cookie tins on the dining room sideboard for family and guests to help themselves as they wished. She baked as often as she needed to keep the tins full and the family happy.
Ingredients:
- 2/3rds Cup *California Dried Apricots
- 1/2 Cup soft butter
- 1/4th Cup sugar
- 1-1/3 Cup sifted flour
- 1/4th teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 Cup brown sugar, packed tight
- 2 eggs, well beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 Cup chopped walnuts
- Confectioner's sugar
* California dried apricots are smaller than Turkish/Middle East dried apricots but they have a sweeter and much better flavor. You'll need to go to a chain supermarket like Kroger or Harris Teeter. You'll find them in the dried fruit section. They'll likely have two rows of the Middle East apricots and one thin row of the California. (You won't find them at Whole Foods.)
Instructions:
1. Rinse apricots. Cover them with water in a small saucepan and boil for 10 minutes. They should still be whole, but soft. Don't overcook the fruit. Cool and chop.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 X 8 X 2 inch pan.
3. Mix butter, sugar, and 1 Cup of flour until crumbly. Press into pan and bake for 25 minutes.
4. Sift 1/3 Cup flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually beat brown sugar into eggs. Mix in flour mixture, then vanilla, chopped walnuts, and chopped apricots.
5. Spread over baked layer. Bake 30 minutes or until done. Cool into pan and then cut into 32 bars. Roll the bars in confectioner's sugar.
Eat one and you may not be able to stop!
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