Lemon Apricot Bars Food

WINNING APRICOT BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Fold in coconut and walnuts., Press two-thirds of dough onto the bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Spread with preserves; crumble remaining dough over preserves. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

THE BEST LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on 2 sides; spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
• For the crust: Add the flour, cornstarch, confectioners' sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse 10 times until combined. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand, about 30 times. (The dough will not come together in one mass.) Sprinkle the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and lightly pat it down. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until golden brown around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes.
• For the filling: Combine the eggs, yolks, sugar, flour, salt and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk continuously over medium heat, occasionally scraping down the sides and edges of the pan with a rubber spatula, until simmering and thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon zest and butter until combined.
• Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Pour the filling over the crust and bake until just set, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
• Use the foil overhang to lift the bars from the pan. Remove the foil and slice into squares. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

BAKE-SALE LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat butter and confectioners' sugar until blended. Gradually beat in 1-1/2 cups flour. Press onto bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, lemon juice and remaining flour until frothy; pour over hot crust. , Bake 20-25 minutes or until lemon mixture is set and lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with additional confectioners' sugar. Cut into bars. Refrigerate leftovers.

FRENCH LEMON-APRICOT TART

Steps:

• Place the flour, confectioners' sugar, butter and salt in a food processor. Cover and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg yolk, processing just until mixture forms a soft dough. Shape into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. , Press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake at 400° until golden brown, 10-12 min. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 325°., In a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisk the eggs, lemon juice, sugar and lemon zest until blended. Add butter; cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Pour into crust. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack. , Spread preserves over tart. Garnish with mint if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

LEMON APRICOT BARS

Steps:

• For the crust: mix flour and confectioners' sugar in a bowl; cut in the butter until crumbly.
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Press the crumb mixture over the bottom of a 9x9-inch baking pan; bake for 30 minutes, let stand until cool.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
• For the filling: spread the apricot preserves over the bottom of the crust.
• Beat the eggs in a mixer bowl until blended; add sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel, flour, baking powder and salt; beat until blended.
• Pour over the prepared layers; bake for 35 minutes; let stand until cool.
• Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar to taste; cut into bars.

APRICOT BARS

Steps:

• In 1-quart saucepan, cook all filling ingredients, stirring constantly, just to boiling over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apricots are tender and filling has thickened. Cool.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch square pan with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix 1 cup whole wheat flour, the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In large bowl, beat egg, brown sugar, oil, orange juice concentrate and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Stir in flour mixture until blended. Reserve 1/2 cup dough mixture for topping.
• Pat remaining dough in pan. Spread filling over dough. Add remaining 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour and the butter to reserved dough mixture. With pastry blender or fork, mix until crumby; sprinkle over filling.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until top is golden and firm. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows.