First Place Apricot-Date Bars

Directions

1. Place 1/2 cup of brown sugar into a saucepan along with the dates and apricots; pour in the apricot nectar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until the nectar has mostly evaporated and the mixture is sticky, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside. Grease a baking sheet.
3. Stir the melted shortening and vanilla extract into 1 cup of brown sugar in a large bowl until no lumps remain. Stir in the flour mixture and oats; work well with your hands until the mixture is evenly combined. Press half of the oat mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread the cooled apricot mixture evenly over the oats, then press the remaining oat mixture evenly over top.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars and serving.

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Reviews (1)

Your Rating:

5

*~Lissa~*

Jul. 3, 2011

"These are pretty simple to make and yummy. They are not overly sweet which makes them a nice dessert for people who aren't big on sweets. I think I would cut back on the salt a tad though. Used [un..." See moresalted] butter cut in with a pastry cutter, not shortening, and I had chopped dates on hand so I used those instead of the pitted Medjool dates. Maybe I will try all apricots next time."