Date Or Apricot Squares Food

APRICOT SQUARES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extract. Combine the flour, orange zest, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Set aside one-third for the topping. , Press remaining dough into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Combine preserves, lemon juice and zest; spread evenly over crust. , Crumble reserved dough over filling. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

NUTTY OATMEAL APRICOT SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
• Pulse pecans in a food processor until coarsely chopped, 3 to 5 times. Add oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; pulse 3 to 4 times.
• Sprinkle butter cubes over the top of the flour-oat mixture. Pulse until butter is the size of small peas, 3 to 5 times.
• Spread 1/2 of oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish, pressing down lightly. Spread apricot preserves over oat mixture to 1/4-inch of the edge. Top with remaining oat mixture and press down lightly.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool before cutting.

FIRST PLACE APRICOT-DATE BARS

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars and serving.

APRICOT DATE SQUARES

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar and dates. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes or until mixture is reduced to 1-1/3 cups and is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. , Remove from the heat. Stir in spreadable fruit until blended; set aside. In a food processor, combine the oats, flour, coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add butter; cover and process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. , Press 3 cups crumb mixture into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread date mixture to within 1/2 in. of edges. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture; press down gently. , Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

APRICOT-DATE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Mix oats, flour, 1 cup brown sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in butter until mixture is crumbly.
• Press a little over half of the crumbly mixture into the bottom of a 10x15-inch baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until starting to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Combine remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, dates, apricots, and orange juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir until thickened, breaking up any clumps, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Cool filling slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Drop spoonfuls of warm filling over the crust. Spread evenly with an offset spatula. Sprinkle remaining crumbly mixture evenly over the filling; press gently into the filling.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Cut into 1-1/4x2-inch bars with a pastry cutter while still hot. Cool bars in the pan, about 20 minutes.

DATE OR APRICOT SQUARES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan (not necessary with nonstick pan).
• Combine butter, 1 cup flour and the granulated sugar in a food processor. Pulse until ingredients are pebbly and crumbly; mixture will be quite dry. Press into pan, and bake for 15 minutes or until shell is evenly cooked.
• If fruit is very dry, stew it in water to cover in a small saucepan until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain very well, then chop. Combine in a bowl with eggs, brown sugar, remaining flour and salt.
• Remove pan from oven, and pour fruit batter over crust. Bake until lightly browned and firm on edges but still a little soft in middle, about 30 minutes. Cool, then cut into squares and serve. Store, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 days.

OATMEAL APRICOT SQUARES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt and baking soda. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. , Press half of the mixture into a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Spread with preserves. Sprinkle with remaining oat mixture; gently press down. , Bake at 350° for 38-42 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

LUSCIOUS APRICOT SQUARES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-by-8- by-2-inch baking pan, and set aside.
• Place apricots in a small saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook until plumped, about 15 minutes. Drain through a fine sieve, and chop fine. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, butter, and granulated sugar. Using a handheld electric mixer on medium speed, blend until crumbly and combined. Transfer mixture to prepared pan. Using your hands, pat crust evenly into pan. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
• Combine remaining 1/3 cup flour, reserved chopped apricots, brown sugar, eggs, walnuts, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Using a handheld electric mixer on medium speed, beat until combined; scrape down sides of bowl twice. Pour mixture over crust, and return to oven. Bake until top is golden, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

DATE & APPLE SQUARES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Grease an 18cm square tin and line with baking parchment.
• Tip the apples into a pan with 2 tbsp water. Bring to the boil and simmer on a low heat for 5 mins until tender and slightly pulpy. Add the dates and 50g of the sugar, and cook for a further 5 mins. Take off the heat and break the apples down with the back of a spoon until smooth and well mixed with the dates. Set aside.
• Gently melt the butter in a saucepan. Mix the flour, bicarb, oats and remaining sugar in a bowl. Pour in the melted butter and stir well until oats are coated.
• Press half the mixture firmly into the tin, spread the apple mix on top and smooth over. Cover with the remaining oat mixture and press down. Bake for 30-35 mins until golden and firm. Cool in the tin before cutting into squares.

APRICOT SQUARES

Steps:

• Place the dried apricots into boiling water for 10 minutes; drain.
• Chop cooled apricots; set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
• Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
• In a small bowl, mix together butter, granulated sugar, and 1 cup flour.
• Press this mixture into prepared pan.
• Bake 25 minutes; set aside.
• In a small bowl, beat together eggs and brown sugar.
• Fold in 1/3 cup flour, baking powder, and salt; mix till combined.
• Stir in vanilla, chopped apricots, and nuts.
• Spread evenly over top of baked layer.
• Bake 30 to 40 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
• Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.
• Cut into squares.

OATMEAL APRICOT SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
• Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Mix almond extract into the beaten egg and stir into the crumb mixture.
• Press half of the crumb mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread apricot preserves over it. Top with the remaining crumbs, and gently press down. Sprinkle almonds evenly over the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Remove from oven, cool on a wire rack, and then cut into squares.

APRICOT CRUMB SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to fan 160C/ conventional 180C/gas 4 and butter a shallow 22cm square cake tin. Put all the topping ingredients in a food processor with 1⁄2 tsp salt and blend to make a sticky crumble.
• Using an electric hand whisk or wooden spoon, blend the cake ingredients, except milk and apricots, gradually adding enough milk to make a creamy mixture that drops from the spoon. Spread in the tin and scatter with apricots. Top with the crumble and press down.
• Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Cool in tin, cut into 16 squares and dust with icing sugar. (Keeps up to 5 days in a plastic container in the fridge.)