Feel like baking this weekend? Try these! They are delicious, and one of my favorite bar/tray bake recipes. The bars are buttery, crisp, jammy, and coconut-y all at the same time and there is a pronounced taste of real apricots thanks to a dozen or so diced dried apricots sprinkled in with the apricot jam.

I’ve been making these bars for at least a decade. The original recipe was made with raspberry jam (and no diced apricots, obviously), but I think my apricot jam version with the addition of diced dried apricots takes the cake—or takes the bar!

Honestly, everyone loves them. They travel well to picnics, and they freeze well, too.

Apricot-Coconut Bars

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ cups sweetened flaked coconut, divided use
• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
• ¾ cup apricot jam
• 10-12 dried apricots finely diced

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare a 9×13 pan by lightly greasing bottom and sides or lining with parchment paper.
2. Preheat oven to 375°.
3. Toast the coconut in a dry frying pan until golden. Stir constantly and watch carefully OR spread onto a baking sheet and bake in a 375° oven for about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
4. In the bowl of a food processor blend flour, brown sugar and salt. With motor running add butter pieces gradually then blend until a dough begins to form.
5. Add 1 cup of toasted coconut and all of the oatmeal to dough in bowl, mix lightly but thoroughly, approximately 2-4 short bursts.
6. Reserve ¾ cup of the dough and set aside.
7. Press remaining dough into bottom of a prepared 9×13 inch baking pan.
8. Sprinkle chopped dried apricots over dough.
9. Spread jam evenly over dried apricots and the dough layer—it might help to heat jam briefly in the microwave to make it easier to spread.
10. Crumble reserved ¾ cup of dough over jam.
11. Sprinkle reserved ½ cup coconut over top of bars.
12. Bake in the middle of a preheated 375° oven for 20-25 minutes.
13. Cool in pan.
14. Lift entire slab out of pan, transfer to cutting board and cut into bars of desired size and shape.
15. Bars can be made 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today!