Apricot Oat Bars

I made these bars as soon as I saw them in Giada’s cooking show. They looked so easy and yummy that I couldn’t resist. I made them over and over again. They are so good that you will eat more than one, plenty in fact. You will find yourself making up an excuse to make them again and again, and again.

You can use pecans instead of walnuts, or any kind of jam and fruit in this recipe. They’re easy to make, and you can store them in an airtight container for up to a week. You can have them for snack or dessert, or even in your toddler’s lunchbox. My eighteen month daughter loves them, so I can assure you it’s a great recipe for the little ones and the grown ups too. I hope you enjoy the Apricot oat bars!    

Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Makes 24 (2 ½ inch) bars

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups apricot jam or preserves

10 dried apricots, chopped

1 ¾ cups all purpose flour

1 packed cup light brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¾ tsp salt

¾ tsp baking soda

1 ¾ cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup walnuts, chopped

16 tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg, beaten, at room temperature

1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix the jam and apricots and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Then stir in the oats and walnuts. Add the butter, egg, and vanilla and stir until the ingredients are incorporated.

Using your fingers, press half of the crust mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan (9x13x2 inch metal baking dish lined with parchment paper and sprayed with vegetable oil). Spread the filling over the crust, leaving a small border around the edge of the pan. Cover the filling with the remaining crust mixture and gently press to flatten. Don’t worry if there are jam spaces left uncovered.

Bake for 35 minutes, until light golden. Cool for 1hour. Cut into bars.

Enjoy!