Description
Apricot crumb bars with a brown butter crust and delicious apricot filling! Dust bars with powdered sugar or serve with vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
Crust & Crumbs
- 14 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1 Tbsp ice water
Filling
- 2 Tbsp bourbon
- 1/4 cup sugar, divided
- 1 1/2 cups sliced apricots
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Cook butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it foams, turns clear, and then turns a medium brown, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk together brown butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until combined. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; add to butter mixture and fold in until incorporated. Reserve 3/4 cup of dough for topping; mix in a bowl with sliced almonds and ice water until combined and keep chilled until ready to use.
- Press remaining dough evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake crust for 14 to 16 minutes, until lightly golden and set. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.
- For the filling, combine bourbon, 3 tablespoons sugar, and sliced apricots in a bowl. Let stand for 20 minutes, tossing occasionally. Spoon apricots over cooled crust, leaving most of the juices behind. Sprinkle fruit with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and crumble reserved dough over filling.
- Bake for another 36 to 38 minutes, until topping is golden and filling slightly bubbly. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Just before cutting, chill in the freezer for 10 minutes. Carefully lift parchment and place bars on a cutting board; cut into squares with a sharp knife.