Apricot-Cherry Bars with Oatmeal Crumble Topping
The recipe halves easily--simply bake in an 8- by 8-inch pan
by: Three Many Cooks
Serves: Makes about 50 bite-size bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick of butter, melted
- 2 cups sweetened, flaked coconut
- 2 cups sliced almonds
- 2 cups dried cherries (about 10 ounces), chopped coarse
- 2 cups dried apricots (about 16 ounces), chopped course
- 11/2 cans (14 ounces each) condensed milk
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, and heat oven to 325 degrees.
- Mix flour, oatmeal, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in melted butter with a fork until well mixed and clumps form. Coat a 13- by 9-inch Pyrex baking pan with vegetable cooking spray, Line with heavy-duty foil, leaving an overhang on two sides to facilitate removal of bars from pan. Coat with vegetable cooking spray, then spread 11/2 packed cups of the oatmeal mixture over pan bottom, pressing to form a thin crust. Mix coconut, almonds, cherries, apricots, and condensed milk in a large bowl. Pour over oatmeal mixture, using a rubber spatula to press mixture in place and evenly distribute it in the pan. Sprinkle remaining ¾ cup of the oatmeal mixture over dried fruit filling.
- Bake until lightly golden, about 30 minutes. Set on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. (Can be double wrapped and frozen for several months or stored in a tin for up to 2 weeks.). Use foil “handles” to remove bars from pan. Cut into squares and serve.
Do you mean sweetened condensed milk or evaporated milk?
I mean sweetened condensed milk–the sugary glue that holds all that yumminess together. Enjoy!
These are the bars that Pam brought to the Anderson family reunion last week in Knoxville. I someone managed to have just two but it took a major effort of the will. And I guess I’m not alone. My sister Jeanne reports that they are now Dad’s favorite dessert.