This recipe is down-home baking at its best, and it really represents all regions of the country. It's won blue ribbons at county fairs and cookie contests in several states! Easy to make, it's perfect for potluck suppers, bake sales, lunchboxes or just plain snacking.&mdash;Jill Moritz, Irvine, California

Winning Apricot Bars

butter, softened

sugar

egg, room temperature

vanilla extract

all-purpose flour

baking powder

coconut

walnuts

jar (10 to 12 ounces) apricot preserves

I enjoyed this recipe a lot. I don't see a lot of recipes that call for apricots, so this one definitely interested me. It was quick to mix together, and the end result was excellent. I love how versatile this recipe is - vary it up by trying out different flavors of preserves! I made these bars look extra special by sifting some powdered sugar over the top prior to serving.

This was so easy to make and delicious! I made it for masjid to give it as a sweet treat. I will be making it agin with A bit of less sugar, since shredded coconut is already sweetened.

This recipe is not exactly like the original that was published in a Pillsbury recipe book back in the 50s. Recipe was called “apricot dessert  bars” . My mother made this recipe all the time and I continue using the same one. The young man who created this recipe won Junior second prize in Pillsbury’s 10th grand national recipe and baking contest. I have the original page from the recipe book. Not sure how I can post it here.

A recipe deserving of winning awards for sure! It was delicious. I love how the preserves thicken while baking, and soak into the crust making it sticky/chewy as a result! I am especially happy with how it turned out so well in my small convection oven which sometimes makes baking difficult. I was able to keep it on the bottom rack the whole 30 minutes. 

Recipe notes: I had to sub 1/2 cup honey for the lack of sugar I had on hand. It worked great. 
I really wanted to use up the last few ounces of preserves in the jar, so I ended up using closer to 16 ounces. I believe 12 would have been plenty!
I did not have nuts, but I bet it would have added more flavor and crunch to the crust. 
Thank you for a great recipe!

Delicious bars. I used raspberry jam as that is what I had on hand.

These apricot bars are so darn good - I had a jar of Smuckers Apricot 18 oz and I got a little carried away - don't deviate from the 10 to 12 oz. recommended and yours will be perfect.

These have really earned the Excellent reviews, but I’m wondering if they’d actually be even better with slightly less sugar. I’ll try that next time. Regardless, they’re amazing.

Oh my gosh ... tasted like little apricot-filled pies! The only change I made was to use mini cupcake trays and adde little crust tops on each so to keep the filling inside as they'll be traveling through the mail.  So darn good. Looking forward to making them again and not waiting for next Christmas!  Thank you so much!  :)

Can you make these without coconut?  I am allergic to it.

This is my go-to recipe for so many things. I have made this recipe at least 8 times in the last 4 months. I also use the recipe (minus preserves) for pie crusts and thumbprint cookies. My husband has Celiac so must eat gluten free.  Instead of AP flour, I use King Arthur's gluten-free flour, but have also used Pillsbury gluten-free flour with equally good results. I use pecans instead of walnuts and a little less coconut. It smells absolutely heavenly when baking and tastes equally good. In making the "bars", I have tried apricot, raspberry, peach, boysenberry, and apple pie filling (with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top of the apple pie filling).  I use the 9" x 13" pan as suggested which is a perfect size for the bars. Spray pan well and cool completely before cutting. I found that 43 minutes was a perfect baking time making the top a delicate brown.  The cookies and pie crust are baked for 15 minutes at 350. Just today, I filled a pie crust with a coconut/vanilla instant pudding/whipped cream mixture for dessert tonight.  Can't wait!

This is wonderful!  I made the recipe exactly as written except for using an 11x7 pan, and we loved it.  I highly recommend!

I don't like coconut so subbed a cup of almond meal, and added some sliced almonds along with the walnuts. This was good, but I didn't put enough jam in, so it was a bit dough-heavy. (My fault, not the recipe's fault!). Still, this was easy and good, and let my homemade apricot jam be the star.

Had all the ingredients so I made these today. Very good! Hubby liked them, too. Easy...quick...and delicious! Going to make them with sweetened fresh raspberries next time. Raspberry season is almost upon us. Love raspberries even more. A good bit of butter but it makes the crust rich and good. Almost like shortcake.

Yes, they can be frozen.  I make with fresh apricots too, turns out fantastic!

I would recommend that you place more of crum mixture on bottom layer when there is lee on top, it's as pretty as the picture.

Excellent I used 18 ounces of apricot preserves plus more walnuts !

"A little bit of heaven ",my middle aged son remarked. Love this recipe just the way it is.

So easy.  Very good for any time of year.  Used other flavors of jam, raspberry was also good.  Made two batches to start, they are so good and do not heat the kitchen too much.  The neighbor kids loved them.

These were a big hit!  I used a bit less jam and coconut to reduce the sugar, and they were still delicious.

I made this wonderful recipe for a birthday party on saturday night. I uses peach jam (didn't have apricot). My friends all want the recipe. Thank you keep up the good work.

I won a first prize and a grand champion with this recipe at the county fair.The changes I made are reducing pan size to 8x8 (or 9x9) square. I felt a 9x13 would be too thin a crust, and I didn't want to double it.   I also used a 20 oz. size jar of apricot preserves.  I always use more nuts than called for to add texture.  Shredded coconut worked fine, as another reviewer mentioned.  In my oven, it took longer to brown on top than 35 minutes.  I was concerned  it would brown too much on the bottom, but it was fine, even with longer baking.  This is probably due to the pan size change.  Let them really cool before cutting, and oil pan well, as the edges get chewier.

Excellent treat with a cup of coffee or hot tea! I swapped peach preserves for the apricot and it was a big hit! These are very rich, so cut into small squares - great for a party tray.

https://videodam.tmbi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WinningApricotBars_DIYD_3227_041023_H.mp4

Check out this video for how to make Winning Apricot Bars.

winning apricot bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total: 45 minutes

Servings: 2

Author : Taste of Home

Ingredients

Instructions

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