One of the good things about being a blogger for so long is that you know me well enough not to be surprised to find one lemon recipe after another around here. :)
These bars come from Alice Medrich's great book on cookies
Apricot lemon bars with almond crust
slightly adapted from the delicious Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich
Crust:
¾ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons (120g) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (33g) almond meal
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup (150g) apricot preserves
1/3 cup (80ml) fresh lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a 20cm (8in) square baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang in two opposite sides. Butter the foil.
Crust: place the flour, almond meal, sugar and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the butter and vanilla and mix until smooth. Press dough evenly on the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until fully baked and golden brown in the center.
Towards the end of the cooking time of the crust, make the topping: in a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and flour. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the preserves, breaking up any large pieces, then stir in the lemon juice. When the crust is ready, turn the oven down to 150°C/300°F. Pour the filling over the crust. Bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the topping no longer jiggles with the pan is tapped. Cool completely over a wire rack.
Lift up the bars using the foil and cut into bars.
Bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Makes 16
These look so good! Lovely pictures.
ReplyDeleteLove this flavor combination, Patricia!
ReplyDeleteApricot and lemon is a delicious combination, and I take that "almond meal" is almond flour.
ReplyDeleteIt looks delicious, I´ve got to cook it!! Thank you for such greats recipes!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure which one will be my favorite either, but I hope to make some soon (like choosing a favorite child, lemon over cherry, but I think if I'm honest it will be lemon) ;-)
ReplyDeletePatricia, I do hope you have a lemon tree in your backyard, given the addiction you have to all things lemon!
ReplyDeleteWe have a lime tree, so I always substitute lemon for lime in recipes. It's just as good, if not better.
that's a combination you don't see every day, i'd like to try it!
ReplyDeleteAnilou, I don't even have a backyard - I live in an apartment. :/
ReplyDeleteI sometimes use limes instead of lemons, too. I love all citrus.
Patricia, I have not travelled much (obviously!) I guess a lot of people don't have one either.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog, if I haven't already mentioned it! :)
Anilou62, you're so sweet! Thank you for the kind comment, sweetie!
ReplyDeletexx