Fresh apricots are tossed with cinnamon sugar and then layered between a brown sugar and oat crust to make these Apricot Crisp Bars.
Served on their own or topped with Vanilla Ice Cream this is a dessert that everyone loves.
Apricot Crisp
Almost firm enough to cut into bars and still fruity enough to resemble a crisp, this is simply a fruit crisp with both a top and bottom crust layer.
There’s no need to cut in cold butter or stress the streusel topping, just pour melted butter into the oat mixture and it will form the perfect crumb crust and topping. This might be one of the easiest fruit desserts you’ll ever make!
I can not sing the praises of parchment paper enough when it comes to recipes like this one. Let the bars cool completely and then simply lift them out of the pan to easily slice them.
Apricot Bars
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the fruit in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, cinnamon, salt, cornstarch, and almond extract. Stir to combine and then let the fruit rest on the counter while preparing the crust.
- In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the flour, oats, and brown sugar. Add the melted butter and stir to combine.
- Press half of this mixture into a well-buttered or parchment-lined 9×13 pan. Pour the fruit over the bottom crust and then sprinkle the rest of the dry mixture on top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the crust turns golden brown. Serve warm from the oven or let cool completely and slice into servings.
These Apricot Bars are dangerously tasty. They aren’t overly sweet and they are filled with juicy pieces of apricot and crunchy bites of streusel crust and topping.
They were so tempting that I actually had a friend come and take the rest of them off my hands because I feared how many I might eat before my husband could take them to the office the next day!
For more great fruit desserts, check out these Pineapple Coconut Bars and this Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch.
These Quinoa Fruit & Nut Bars and these Strawberry Oatmeal Bars are on my list now too. Don’t miss the rest of the Gluten Free Dessert Recipes!
Kitchen Tip: I use this pan to make this recipe. The lid for it is my favorite thing!
Apricot Crisp Bars
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped apricots
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour*
- 1½ cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup butter melted
*Gluten-Free Alternative
- 1⅓ cups brown rice flour or oat flour
- ⅔ cup tapioca starch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the fruit in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, cinnamon, salt, cornstarch, and almond extract. Stir to combine and then let the fruit rest on the counter while preparing the crust.
- In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the flour, oats, and brown sugar. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. Press half of this mixture into a well-buttered or parchment-lined 9×13 pan. Pour the fruit over the bottom crust and then sprinkle the rest of the dry mixture on top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the crust turns golden brown. Serve warm from the oven or let cool completely and slice into servings. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
{originally published 6/18/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 6/3/22}
Anonymous says
Hi. I believe you neglected to include the almond extract in the ingredients. How much are we supposed to use?
Thanks,
David
Mary says
Thanks for catching that, David! It should be 1 teaspoon of almond extract. Enjoy!
Lita says
Mary, these look and sound so tasty. Love apricots. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Linda @ Tumbleweed Contessa
Anonymous says
Let me tell you how good these were: my picky eater, just chose one of these over a chocolate brownie. What?!?! He's 7, that's crazy, but they were that good.
Anonymous says
Is the recipe for fresh apricots? Can you use canned apricots?
Mary says
I've never bought canned apricots, so I don't really have anything to compare it to. I imagine that you could substitute canned apricots for the fresh ones and have a tasty dessert, but it won't be exactly the same. Just be sure to drain off as much liquid as possible before adding the fruit to the recipe.
pat says
Almost firm enough to cut into bars? Does that mean you do not recommend attempting to cut them into bars? I was looking for a gluten free fruity bar cookie. Should I pass on this one?
thanks!
Mary says
This is not a cookie bar. It’s a firm fruit crisp, but definitely still closer to scoopable than hand held bars. I hope that helps!
Rachael says
I know of an amazing gf apricot bar that can be hand held. It’s in a cookbook called “incredible edible gluten free food for kids.”. I have been making them for 12 years and my kids can’t get enough!!!!
Edwina at Induction Cooking says
These look so delicious. I can imagine the taste of those amazing apricots. I can’t always get fresh apricots out of season but I love the taste so much. I’m going to try making it with canned apricots as well as fresh and see how it turns out each way.
Mari says
How about using fresh dried apricots? Maybe soak in juice or liquor?
Mary says
I don’t think there will be nearly enough liquid/moisture in the final recipe if it’s made with dried fruit. I’d sub in frozen fruit (peaches are delicious as well) if fresh is not available. I hope that helps!
Agness of Run Agness Run says
These apricot bars seem so tasty and energy boosters, Mary! I can’t wait to try them. Perfect breakfast idea. 😉
Catherine says
Very good. I used canned apricots. Also used white rice flour because that’s what I had. Made 1/2 the recipe and used a 9″ round pan and baked. For 25 minutes. Also added 50 grams raisens raisens in the apricot mixture. Friends loved it. My one friend can’t have cow dairy so I used Crisco shortening but didn’t melt it.
Kim says
I made this with fresh diced apricots tonight. I made a half recipe in a 8X8 pan. It was a big hit. So goey delicious!
rose g says
do you peel the apricots?
Mary says
I do not peel apricots. Enjoy!
Jennifer says
Hi thanks for recipe. I have just made these in a dairy free and sugar free version.
I used buckwheat flour with the oatflour.
I used raw coconut oil instead of butter.
And maple syrup instead of sugar.
After using fresh apricots I added a couple of fresh pears (peeled) as I ran out of apricots.
I added 3 medjool dates for extra sweetness.
They are very tasty, maybe not as sweet but for me I loved them. Although a bit crumbly.
Thanks
Suzanne says
This recipe is fantastic. I used frozen apricots and frozen rhubarb and it worked out great. I was a bit skeptical of the large amount of almond extract but it really enhanced the flavor.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy you enjoyed the crisp, Suzanne!
Suzanne says
And I forgot to rate it – 5 stars
Catherine maxey says
Awesome recipe. Very easy. I made half the recipe and used a 8×8 pan and baked about 25 minutes. Love parchment paper.
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad that you enjoyed the apricot bars, Catherine!
Donna says
Have you ever frozen the bars. I have a tree full of apricots. So I’d like to make desserts and freeze for later.
Thanks
Mary Younkin says
Yes! The bars freeze beautifully, Donna.
Monique says
Love these! I am making several more batches to give and hopefully freeze. Can you tell me the best way to freeze these?
Mary Younkin says
This can be frozen whole in the pan or sliced and frozen in individual pieces. I typically flash freeze on a parchment-lined tray and then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag.
Carolina says
This fruit crumble/bar recipe is absolutely delicious! And, easy to make! Thank you, Mary!
And here’s what I just LOVE about this recipe: Aside from not being a baker type (I didn’t grow up with baked goods of any kind) this recipe is so easy to execute and ingredients can be successfully substituted, as is often the case in cooking (which I do a lot of!).
Here’s what I mean: I didn’t have enough apricots, so I added a few very ripe, large peaches to make up the difference. I can’t consume too much dairy, so instead of butter, I used extra virgin coconut oil. I like my fruit desserts to be a bit tart, so I added about 1 Tbsp of lemon juice to the cut up fruit and because of this, I also added an extra 1/2 Tbsp of Arrowroot flour to the spice blend that gets mixed into the fruit because the peaches were also REALLY juicy. And finally, when I went to the cupboard for the rolled oats, I found that I was out! But I was really craving a delicious fruit dessert, so I used a healthy cereal I had bought for my husband that he didn’t like! (Thank you hubby!) They’re called Sprouted Ancient Maize Flakes by One Degree Organic Foods. And I think I just might buy these to make this recipe because they stayed crunchy! It came out SO wonderful!
This is such a fantastic recipe! I will be making it many, many times for us as well as for guests and to take to gatherings. The only down side is that it’s really hard to stop eating it!! 🙂
Mary Younkin says
I am absolutely thrilled that you loved this recipe and YES, the beauty of a great recipe like this one is in how very adaptable it is. I love those substitutions too, Carolina.
Carolina Schutz says
Thank you, Mary! You’re very kind.
I forgot to mention it, but I only used 1/2 cup of coconut oil because in my experience it seems to be more unctuous than butter. And it was indeed enough!
Thanks again!
Melissa Castellanos says
Can I sub all the ingredients with * for almond flour for a gluten free recipe?
Mary Younkin says
Unfortunately, almond flour does not work as a 1:1 substitution, Melissa. I can’t recommend trying that.
Jonnie says
ThisRecipe sounds delicious ,can’t wait to try it! Two questions can I use frozen apricots in this recipe and also have you tried the Bob’s red Mill one to one gluten-free flour in this recipe? Thank you
Mary Younkin says
Frozen apricots will work fine and Bob’s should work in this recipe as well. Crisps are very forgiving and can typically be substituted without problems, Jonnie.
Catherine says
Love these bars!
I’ve made them a few times and have always kept any leftovers in the fridge
Last night someone left them sit out on the kitchen table…
Are they still okay to eat?
Do they need to be refrigerated ??
Mary Younkin says
They should be fine at room temperature. I just prefer the way they keep in the refrigerator.
Susan says
Just made these. My husband took one bite and said, “wow!” His friend said they were really good too. I have to agree. Question: have you every tried going 50/50 on white/wheat flour ration?
Mary Younkin says
I often substitute white/wheat in many recipes, Susan. That would be delicious in this one.