Sticky Apricot Jam Bars
Sticky, sweet, comforting apricot jam bars made gluten-free. Perfect takeaway snack, or sweet breakfast bar. No dairy or refined sugar, nut-free options.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 37 minutes
- Yield: 8 bars
- Category: Bars
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Bars:
- 3½ cups shredded coconut (unsweetened)
- 1 cup sliced almonds*
- 4 soft medjool dates, pitted
- 7 tbsp coconut sugar
- 6 tbsp maple syrup**
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract (optional)
- ½ tsp raw ground vanilla bean (optional)
- ¼ tsp salt
Toppings:
- 1 jar St. Dalfour fruit-sweetened apricot jam (or another brand - you'll need 10oz / 284 gr)
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds***
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F. Line an 8" x 6" glass tupperware container (or any oven-safe dish of a similar size) with parchment paper and set aside.
- Process all "bars" ingredients in a food processor into a fine sticky crumble. Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan and press down into a flat even layer. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and press it down even more with a flat-bottomed object to compress the mixture as much as possible.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven for approx 12 mins. Remove from oven, but keep it running. Carefully spread the apricot jam on top of the bars. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool on a rack (they will appear softer at first but will firm up as they cool). Cut into pieces and enjoy! Store leftovers in a sealed tupperware container (I kept mine refrigerated).
Notes
*You can make this recipe nut-free by substituting another cup unsweetened shredded coconut for the sliced almonds (though they do add a nice flavor and texture, so if you're not almond-free I recommend keeping them in).
**I actually ran out of maple syrup while making these, so used 1 tbsp maple syrup + 6 tbsp date syrup. To keep the ingredients simpler, I say go with just maple syrup (which is what I recommended in the recipe) and use a bit less (hence the recommendation for only 6 tbsp maple syrup even though I technically used 7 tbsp sweetener. You could probably use even less if you like things less sweet).
***If you're going for a nut-free version, you can just skip the sliced almonds. Or you can add a bit of coconut at the very end of the baking process and bake with the coconut on for just a few minutes until it gets toasty. It tends to burn very easily though, so keep an eye out.
Find it online: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/sticky-apricot-jam-bars/