The dough is a classic shortbread ratio; one part sugar, two parts butter, three parts flour, with lemon zest worked in before anything else, so the citrus fragrance distributes evenly through every crumb. Two thirds of it goes into the dish and gets pressed down with your fingers into an even base. Fresh apricot slices go on next, skin on, which helps the slices hold their shape instead of turning to mush in the oven. The remaining third of the dough gets crumbled over the top, covering the fruit loosely so the apricot shows through in places.
After forty-five to fifty minutes in the oven the top is golden, the fruit is soft and jammy, and the base has set into something that cuts cleanly once it has cooled. The 6×6 format gives you nine 2-inch bars or four generous 3-inch ones depending on how you cut them; the smaller size for a snack, the larger for a proper dessert. The lemon in the dough is what makes these worth coming back to: it keeps the sweetness of the apricot from going flat and gives the whole bar a freshness that a plain shortbread base never achieves.
What Makes This Work
The velvety orange skin and sweet-tart flavor of apricots say summer more than any other fruit. Unlike ripe peaches, which juices dribble down your face when you bit into them, raw apricots will never give you that juicy sensation, unless . . . . you cook or bake them. They soften into luscious bits of sweet-tart, jammy goodness and you don’t even have to peel them. Placing that experience between 2 layers of lemony shortbread is a recipe made from heaven.
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Key Ingredients in This Recipe
You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.
FOR THE SHORTBREAD
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon zest
- Butter
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
FOR THE APRICOT FILLING
- Fresh apricots
- Granulated sugar
- Cornstarch – called cornflour in the UK, read more about confusion of terms like cornmeal, corn flour and cornstarch.
- Lemon juice
- Vanilla Extract
How to Make Apricot Crumble Bars
Step 1 – Add granulated sugar and lemon zest to a bowl and rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers.
You will smell the release of the essential oils from the lemon zest. This will make the shortbread taste deliciously.
Step 2 – Add the soft butter and vanilla extract and mix this with the sugar, using a spatula. There is no need for a mixer.
Step 3 – Mix flour and salt in a separate bowl and add that to the butter-sugar mixture.
Mix until all the flour is dispersed and you’ll end up with a crumbly dough.
Step 4 – With your finger, press 2/3 of the dough into a 6×6 baking dish, lined with parchment paper.
I always cut it 2 inches longer and use binder clips to keep the parchment paper in place.
Step 5 – Cut the apricots in thin slices/wedges and combine with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Mix.
Transfer this mixture onto the shortbread bottom and spread evenly.
Step 6 – Crumble the remaining shortbread dough over the apricot layer. This will not be a total coverage; the apricots are still shining through.
Bake for about 45-50 minutes in a 375°F oven or until the crumble is light golden. You will see the apricots bubbling in between the crumble topping.
Alternatives & Substitutes
- Peaches are the best alternative for the apricots. I would advise to peel them first as the skin may sometime be a little chewy and hard to bite.
- Instead of flavoring the shortbread with lemon zest, orange zest is a perfect second choice.
- Apricots and almonds pair well together, so you could mix the top layer of shortbread with almond slivers.
- Make these bars gluten free and use almond flour instead of all-purpose flour.
Storage Tip
- Keep these apricot crumble bars in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week. The shortbread will get a little less crumble though.
- You can also freeze these bars. Place them on a baking sheet in the freezer; once frozen transfer them to a freezer bag or a freezer friendly airtight container. Place parchment paper between the bars for easy handling.
Other Recipes with Fresh Apricots to Try
Apricot Crumble Bars
Pin Recipe FacebookIngredients
For the shortbread
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1/2 lemon, zest only
- 100 g butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the apricot filling
- 330 g apricots, pit removed, skin on
- 30 g granulated sugar
- 6.5 g cornstarch
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 6×6 baking dish with parchment paper. (NOTE 1)
Make the apricot filling
- Wash and cut the apricots in thin slices/wedges and combine with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Mix. (NOTE 2)
Make the shortbread
- Transfer granulated sugar and lemon zest to a bowl and rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers. (NOTE 3)
- Add the soft butter and vanilla extract and mix this with the sugar, using a spatula. There is no need for a mixer.
- Mix flour and salt in a separate bowl and add that to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix until all the flour is dispersed and you’ll end up with a crumbly dough.
- With your finger, press 2/3 of the dough into a 6×6 baking dish, lined with parchment paper.
- Transfer the apricot filling onto the shortbread bottom and spread out evenly.
- Crumble the remaining shortbread dough over the apricot layer. This will not be a total coverage; the apricots are still shining through. (NOTE 4)
- Bake for about 45-50 minutes in a 375°F oven or until the crumble is light golden. You will see the apricots bubbling in between the crumble topping.
- Allow the bars to cool and cut in 2×2 bars (you'll end up with 9) or cut in 3×3 bars (you'll end up with 4).
Notes
- Make sure you cut is 2 inches longer to create an overhang that will make it easier to get the bars out of the baking dish when it is done.
- No need to peel the apricots, their skin is very thin and you won’t even know it’s there once it is baked.
- You will smell the release of the essential oils from the lemon zest. This will make the shortbread taste deliciously.
- As a variety, you can mix some almond slivers with the shortbread crumble for an extra crunch.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.