I have been experimenting with different types of flours in my baking thanks to Pereg Natural. This post is brought to you by their Almond Meal Flour as they sent me some samples to review. It is not the first time I have tried baking with almond flour – I have made macarons before and as soon as the humidity levels drop I’m going to make them again. I’ve used Pereg Banana Flour in baking as well – when I made gluten free chocolate chip cookies. Today’s recipe uses both all purpose and almond flour. Be sure to check Pereg Natural Foods for almond and banana flour and much more!
Apricot Cherry Bars
1 1/4 cups whole almonds, divided
1 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup almond flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar plus 1 TBS
3/4 tsp salt
12 TBS unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
12 oz dried apricots
1/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup cherry jam
1/2 cup water
1 TBS lemon juice
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting if desired
Preheat oven to 375°
Line a 13 x 9 x 2″ pan with foil, overlapping the edges so you can easily pull the cookie bars out.
Grease the foil with cooking spray
Add 3/4 cup of the almonds to a food processor and pulse until they are small crumbs.
Add the all purpose flour, almond flour, granulated sugar, 1/3 cup of brown sugar and salt to the ground almonds in the processor bowl. Pulse until combined.
Cut the butter into pieces and add to the mixture. Pulse until the dough looks like course meal.
Set aside 1/2 cup for the topping.
Add the dough to the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Make the topping:
Add the apricots and the dried cranberries to the food processor and and pulse/process until they are rather finely ground.
Take the ground apricots and put them in a large saute pan. Add the cherry jam and water. Cook until it the apricots are softened and the mixture is jam like. Add the lemon juice and mix in.
Bake the cookie base in the preheated oven for 12 – 15 minutes until it just starts to brown. Turn the pan halfway through baking.
While the base is baking coarsely chop the remaining almonds. Set aside
Take the mixture set aside for the topping and add the remaining 1 TBS brown sugar, the cinnamon and the nutmeg. Mix well.
Remove the pan from the oven and immediately add the apricot topping and spread evenly.
Compress and sprinkle the topping, then the chopped almonds.
Bake for 20 minutes until the almonds just start to brown. Turn the pan halfway through baking
Let cool on a wire rack. Carefully remove to fully cool, dust with confectioner’s sugar if desired and then cut into bars.
How was it cooking with Almond Flour?
I found the shortbread base of these cookie bars to be really tender. They held together beautifully but they just about melted in your mouth when you ate them. I enjoyed the flavor that the almond flour imparted.
I suspect that the people at the meeting for whom I baked them did too as none came home. I’m glad I kept a couple back to taste test!
Other Bar Cookies:
Lemon Bars
Turtle Brownies
Caramel Stuffed Rice Krispie Treats
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Apricot Cherry Bars
- Category: dessert
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups whole almonds, divided
- 1 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar plus 1 TBS
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 12 TBS unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 12 oz dried apricots
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup cherry jam
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 TBS lemon juice
- Confectioner’s sugar for dusting if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Line a 13 x 9 x 2″ pan with foil, overlapping the edges so you can easily pull the cookie bars out.
- Grease the foil with cooking spray
- Add 3/4 cup of the almonds to a food processor and pulse until they are small crumbs.
- Add the all purpose flour, almond flour, granulated sugar, 1/3 cup of brown sugar and salt to the ground almonds in the processor bowl. Pulse until combined.
- Cut the butter into pieces and add to the mixture. Pulse until the dough looks like course meal.
- Set aside 1/2 cup for the topping.
- Add the dough to the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Make the topping:
- Add the apricots and the dried cranberries to the food processor and and pulse/process until they are rather finely ground.
- Take the ground apricots and put them in a large saute pan. Add the cherry jam and water. Cook until it the apricots are softened and the mixture is jam like. Add the lemon juice and mix in.
- Bake the cookie base in the preheated oven for 12 – 15 minutes until it just starts to brown. Turn the pan halfway through baking.
- While the base is baking coarsely chop the remaining almonds. Set aside
- Take the mixture set aside for the topping and add the remaining 1 TBS brown sugar, the cinnamon and the nutmeg. Mix well.
- Remove the pan from the oven and immediately add the apricot topping and spread evenly.
- Compress and sprinkle the topping, then the chopped almonds.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the almonds just start to brown. Turn the pan halfway through baking
- Let cool on a wire rack. Carefully remove to fully cool, dust with confectioner’s sugar if desired and then cut into bars.
