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Home » Recipes » Apricot Shortbread Bars

Apricot Shortbread Bars

Sep 16, 2017 · 31 Comments

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A stack of Apricot BArs
Apricot Shortbread Bars with dried apricots are covered in a mouthwatering buttery shortbread crust of coconut and pecans. You don’t have to wait for apricot season to enjoy sweet apricots.  
 
 Apricot Bars on table
Apricot Shortbread Bars

Apricot Shortbread Bars bring back childhood memories for me. My grandfather had an apricot tree in his backyard and every summer we would can and dry all the apricots we couldn’t eat to bring home with us. I’ve never been able to find apricots on the East coast like they grow in California. The ones we get in the grocery don’t even come close to what I remember.

Do apricots ripen off the tree

In my opinion they do not ripen after they’ve been picked, they only soften.  Some people will tell you that if they are colored and soft when picked they will ripen.  However, in my experience if they ripen any, it’s only slightly.  Since apricots are such a delicate fruit, I guess they have to pick them before they’re ripe, or they would be mush by the time they made it to the East Coast. My advise is don’t bother buying apricots on the East coast, you’re going to have to stick to canned, frozen or dried.

 
All winter long, we would eat dried apricots and apricot jam and canned apricots.  It was our go-to fruit. I think about the closest you can get to the real thing is dried apricots.  For these apricot squares, you’ll find that sweet apricot taste that comes from the fruit itself and not from a lot of added sugar like you get with most jams.  What really pushes this recipe for apricot bars over the top in my book is the  combination of coconut and pecans in the shortbread crust.
A batch of apricot bars on parchment paper
Apricot Shortbread Bars

How do you make Apricot Shortbread Bars

Step 1: Start out by boiling dried apricots until they are soft. Save some of the water to dissolve the sugar in and then add the softened chopped apricots to the sugar mixture. By using chopped apricots that have been softened, you get more texture to the bar then if you just used jam.
 
Step 2: Make a delicious shortbread and add toasted coconut and pecans to it and place three quarters of it in the bottom of the pan and bake it for 10 minutes.
 
Step 3: Add the apricot mixture to the partially baked crust and top with the remaining shortbread and finish baking.
 

Tips for cutting perfect bars

Once you’ve made the perfect apricot shortbread bar, you want to be able to have beautiful squares.

  • To get perfect squares for any dessert bar I always line the baking pan with parchment paper with enough to hang over the two ends of the pan. This way you can easily lift it out of the pan to cut. If you don’t have parchment paper, tin foil will also work.
  • For most recipes, it helps to first let the bars cool to room temperature and then refrigerate.  This will help you get pretty cuts without the bars falling apart.
 
A single apricot bar on parchment paper
Apricot Shortbread Bars

I shipped these to Natalie and she loved them.  I would suggest taking these to your next tail gate or pot luck. While brownies are the standard for tail gates, these can withstand the heat and still keep their crunch.  Plus it’s something a little different that everyone will love.  Nana sent me this recipe from an old Junior League Cookbook printed in the 80’s from Owensboro Ky.  I love these old cookbooks, you can find some of the best recipes.

More recipes that use apricots

  • Apricot Dijon Chicken
  • Cranberry Apricot Oatmeal Cookies
  • I’m going to try this dried apricot tart from The Spruce Eats 
  • Dried apricot muffins sound delicious too from The Southern Plate

Looking for more delicious dessert bars

  • Pistachio lemon bars are great for an after dinner treat
  • Feel like summer, try some S’more Bars with Rice Krispies
  • Try a classic snickerdoodle like bar
  • If you like fruit, then you’ll love apple pie bars
  • Can’t decide between carrot cake or cheesecake, you’ll love carrot cake cheesecake bars
If you make Apricot Bars be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! I would love to see your creation.
 
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please know that I only provide links to things that I use on a regular basis and think you might find helpful.
A stack of Apricot Bars

Apricot Shortbread Bars

Apricot Shortbread Bars with dried apricots are covered in a mouthwatering buttery shortbread crust of coconut and pecans. You don’t have to wait for apricot season to enjoy sweet apricots.  
4.24 from 46 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apricots, coconut, pecans
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 28
Calories: 180kcal

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces dried apricots (11/2 cups)
  • 1 ¾ cups sugar sugar divided
  • ¾ cup butter softened
  • 2 cups flour
  • ½ teaspoon soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sweetened coconut toasted
  • ½ cup pecans chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350º. Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper.
  • In a small saucepan, cover apricots with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes until soft. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup water. Place water back in saucepan and add 3/4 cup sugar. Cook over medium heat until sugar has dissolved.
  • Chop apricots and add to saucepan.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter and 1 cup sugar and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk together four, soda and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix until combined. Add toasted coconut and pecans.
  • Place 3/4 of the mixture into prepared pan, pressing it with the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake for 10 minutes until it is golden brown. Remove from oven and spread apricot mixture over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crust over the top and bake an additional 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Notes

Tips for perfect apricot bars

  • Start with softened butter. If you press your finger on it it will indent but not go all the way through.
  • Line the pan with parchment paper to make it easy to remove when cooled. 
  • Refrigerate after cooled to make cutting into bars even easier.

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 170mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 590IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

Brownie & Bar Recipes, Dessert Recipes, Recipes coconut, pecans

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Laura K Shinefield says

    October 2, 2017 at 11:50 am

    This recipe is amazing! I made them this weekend with dried apricots as you suggested and everyone loved them. The toasted coconut makes the crust taste delicious. A fantastic buttery fall dessert! This recipe is a keeper! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Barbara Curry says

      October 2, 2017 at 2:18 pm

      I’m so glad you liked them. I thought the crust was the best part!

      Reply
  2. GrandmaLeslie says

    January 22, 2019 at 4:39 pm

    OMG!!! I searched for just this recipe, bars based on apricots and coconut. I just made these and I am sitting here seriously eating one warm. Couldn’t even wait. Anyway I did drizzle thinly with a lemon royal icing and all I can say is this recipe is going into to Superbowl menu that I am planning now. That and thank you Barbara!!

    Reply
    • Barbara Curry says

      January 22, 2019 at 6:14 pm

      Oh my, lemon glaze sounds fabulous.

      Reply
  3. cheryl says

    August 27, 2019 at 7:46 pm

    Wow! I usually go toward chocolate but with not a morsel in the house, I remembered these. The crust is a little piece of heaven! I seriously don’t know how else to say it.. I’m a fan of shortbread but the addition of coconut and pecans put this right over the top! I also didn’t have any dried apricots but used some jam that I thinned out a bit. I cut them into small bite size pieces and have to stop myself from popping one into my mouth when I walk by. Easy, delicious, and beyond heavenly! Thank you Barbara!

    Reply
    • Barbara Curry says

      August 27, 2019 at 8:31 pm

      Great way to improvise with jam! I’m such a fan of anything with coconut. Glad these were a success.

      Reply
  4. Katie says

    December 23, 2019 at 4:13 pm

    5 stars
    The best apricot bar recipe I have ever made! Served with fresh whipped cream. They are amazing!

    Reply
    • Barbara Curry says

      December 24, 2019 at 10:20 am

      Whipped cream with them is a great idea!

      Reply
  5. Dani says

    February 9, 2020 at 5:37 pm

    THIS RECIPE IS AMAZING!!!
    Honestly I have never EVER made sweets, so it’s my first time and very successful! I had some dried apricots and wasn’t sure what to do with them. Looked online and found this recipe. Decided to make and if it wasn’t successful I would throw it away (since no experience in making sweets). But instead, came up great. It’s very easy to make and time consuming in moment of instead going to the store and buy cravings to make it at home. The only thing I have changed was the pecans since I did not have some and switched with walnuts, it’s great too.
    Barbara, I thank you for this recipe! ❤️

    Reply
    • Barbara Curry says

      February 9, 2020 at 7:00 pm

      Dani, I’m so glad you tried these, they are one of my favorites. I hope you’ll try some more recipes from the blog, homemade desserts are the BEST!

      Reply
  6. Louise says

    June 6, 2020 at 10:58 pm

    5 stars
    Very delicious, and exactly what I had expected. We used to live in a town known far and wide for the bakeries, and I grew up with a large variety of delicious desserts. The town we currently call home does not have those same types of bakeries. But when I find a recipe like this, I don’t miss the bakeries at all. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Barbara Curry says

      June 7, 2020 at 1:41 pm

      Louise,
      Thank you so much for taking the time to add a comment. With everything going on right now, it was great to open my e-mail and see that you have enjoyed one of my recipes.

      Reply
  7. Amber says

    June 24, 2020 at 1:56 pm

    Barbara!
    I’m happy to report that I have some ripe & fresh apricots on hand and would love to make these bars. Have any advice on how many?

    Reply
    • Barbara Curry says

      June 24, 2020 at 4:59 pm

      So first, I’m jealous! I have not made these with fresh apricots. Since you are reconstituting the dried apricots in this recipe and there are about 24 dried apricots, I would try using the same amount of fresh. The apricot mixture should be cooked until it’s thickened, like a jam consistency. Let me know how it turns out, I think they will taste great, I’m just not sure if the fresh apricots will make it too juicy. If so, you can enjoy with a fork!

      Reply
  8. Bobby Duehring says

    November 14, 2020 at 10:58 pm

    5 stars
    These are delicious!!! I made them per the instructions, and they turned out perfectly. I tried the tip with the parchment paper in the hopes of cutting the bars consistently. I’m still hopeless where that’s concerned. 🙂

    Reply
    • Barbara Curry says

      November 15, 2020 at 9:50 am

      Mine are never exact either but one tip if you want them even is to remove from the pan and cut the whole pan in half in both directions. Then cut the additional rows depending on the size. You could also use a ruler but I’m never that particular.

      Reply
  9. Rebecca says

    November 16, 2020 at 9:54 pm

    Have you ever tried alternative flours, i.e. coconut, almond, macadamia nut flours? Getting back into my more keto friendly recipes, so I’m curious if you’ve already had success with using/mixing any of the above. Will most certainly try this recipe, as-is – regardless!

    Reply
    • Barbara Curry says

      November 20, 2020 at 2:48 pm

      I have not tried any other flours, but even eliminating the flour, I’m not sure you could make this keto. You could always cut them smaller and still have a treat without as many carbs. If you are going Keto, Sausage Balls with Almond Flour are a blog favorite along with Queso Chicken.

      Reply
  10. Anit Singh says

    November 27, 2020 at 8:23 pm

    Hi, can i omit the coconut from the recipe (allergy to coconut ) and replace the pecans with walnuts. If you have any suggestions to replace the coconut
    thank you

    Reply
    • Barbara Curry says

      November 29, 2020 at 4:34 pm

      I wouldn’t worry about replacing the coconut, these are fabulous without it. Walnuts would give it a great flavor, I’m sure you’ll love it.

      Reply
      • Theo says

        December 22, 2020 at 6:06 pm

        If I don’t want to include nuts, do you think I should introduce something else such as perhaps marshmallows or chocolate, or leave it alone. Please reply thanks!

        Reply
        • Barbara Curry says

          December 23, 2020 at 2:48 pm

          I wouldn’t try marshmallows or chocolate, that would really change the flavor. They will be great without the nuts.

          Reply
  11. Avondarcye says

    December 22, 2020 at 7:23 pm

    Came out amazing, We have some anti- coconut people here so I left it out, but I am sure it would have been even better with.This is a great easy recipe.

    Reply
    • Barbara Curry says

      December 23, 2020 at 2:46 pm

      Love the coconut but it’s the apricots that are the star.

      Reply
  12. Barb f says

    January 5, 2021 at 10:54 am

    Has anyone tried this with cutting down the sugar, say to 1 cup divided? Trying to cut back on sugar but love to bake and have a bag of apricots that I need to use.

    Reply
    • Barbara Curry says

      January 9, 2021 at 12:22 pm

      If you are going to cut down the sugar, I would decrease the amount that’s added to the apricots. Let me know how they turn out

      Reply
    • Amanda says

      January 15, 2021 at 5:38 pm

      I just did, Barb! I halved both amounts of sugar & it was perfect for my family’s tastes. One note: I did also halve the amount of boiling water retained from the apricots to keep the viscosity of the syrup.

      Reply
      • Barbara Curry says

        January 15, 2021 at 5:40 pm

        Amanda, thanks for sharing that, I’ll add it to the post so others can make adjustments.

        Reply
  13. Amanda says

    January 15, 2021 at 5:34 pm

    5 stars
    Through an instacart mix-up I ended up with far more dried apricots than I could eat before their expiration date. So, I made these to use up the excess. Happy to report: they’re delicious!

    I halved the sugar & tossed in a few dried cherries as well. My whole family has enjoyed these buttery cookie bars. Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂

    Reply
  14. Susan says

    February 20, 2021 at 12:42 pm

    5 stars
    Holy cow, this was amazing! I only had canned peaches from our peach crop last year, so I cooked down about 6-8 cups until it was a thick sauce consistency and used that instead. It was ambrosial! I did have to bake for an extra twenty minutes due to the increased liquid of my filling, but it was well worth it.

    Reply
    • Barbara Curry says

      February 20, 2021 at 7:27 pm

      That’s fantastic, I’m glad you could get it to work with canned peaches.

      Reply

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Barbara Curry is the culinary adventurer of Butter & Baggage. With a dedicated enthusiasm for real butter made from happy cows she is in constant pursuit of delicious recipes and tasty dishes. She shares her experiences, ventures, and occasional misadventures because let’s face it things can get messy in any kitchen. Read More…

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