Apricot Squares

MAKES 24 SQUARES Ingredients • 1½ cups almond flour • 1¾ cups sliced almonds • ⅔ cup palm sugar + 1 tablespoon (15 ml) palm sugar • 1 pinch salt • 6 tablespoons (90 ml) coconut oil, cut into 12 pieces and softened • 1 pound (454 g) dried apricots • ½ cup apricot jam (see Fruit Jam recipe, page 221) • 1 cup (240 ml) of water • ½ teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) fresh lemon juice • Coconut oil for greasing foil Preparation 1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 13x9 baking pan with a foil sling. Make foil sling by folding two long sheets of aluminum foil; the first sheet should be thirteen inches wide and the second sheet should be nine inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Grease with coconut oil. 2. Process the flour, 1¼ cups of the almonds, ⅓ cup of the palm sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt together in a food processor until combined (about 5 seconds). Add the coconut oil and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-sized pieces of coconut oil (about 20 pulses). 3. Reserve ½ cup of the flour mixture for the topping. Sprinkle the remaining flour mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer with the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake the crust until fragrant and golden brown (about 15 minutes). 4. While the crust bakes, mix the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of palm sugar and the reserved flour mixture together in a small bowl and pinch the mixture between your fingers into hazelnut-sized clumps of streusel. 5. Pulse the apricots, one cup of water, and jam together in a food processor until the apricots are roughly quarter-inch chunks (5 to 7 pulses). Cook the apricot mixture in a large nonstick skillet over high heat until it is thickened and jam-like (10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. 6. Spread the cooked apricot mixture evenly over the hot crust and sprinkle with the streusel topping and remaining ½ cup of almonds. Bake until almonds are golden brown (about 20 minutes), rotating the pan halfway through baking. 7. Place the pan atop a wire rack and let the bars cool completely (about two hours). Remove the bars from the pan using the foil, cut into squares, and serve.

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Apricot squares like these are really two desserts in one pan: a golden almond shortbread base, a thick layer of jammy cooked dried apricots brightened with lemon zest, and a crunchy streusel-and-sliced-almond topping. The whole batch bakes in a 13x9 pan and cuts into twenty-four squares, with a whole pound of dried apricots doing the sweetening work alongside just two-thirds of a cup of palm sugar.

Pro Tips

• Don't skip reserving the half cup of flour mixture — pinch it with the extra tablespoon of palm sugar into hazelnut-sized clumps so the streusel bakes up crunchy instead of sandy.
• Cook the apricot mixture in a skillet over high heat for the full 10 minutes until jam-like; a loose filling soaks through the crust and wrecks the squares' clean layers.
• Press the crust in with the bottom of a measuring cup for an even layer, and spread the apricot filling while the crust is still hot so it bonds instead of sliding.
• Rotate the pan halfway through the final 20-minute bake — the sliced almonds go from golden to burnt quickly at the corners.
• Let the pan cool on a wire rack for the full two hours before lifting the foil and cutting, or the filling will smear across the knife.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my crust soggy?

The apricot layer wasn't cooked down enough. Simmer the apricots, jam, and water until thickened and jam-like before spreading — that concentrated filling is what keeps the shortbread base crisp.

Can I use fresh apricots instead of dried?

Dried apricots are doing the heavy lifting here — their concentrated flavor and chew can't be matched by fresh, which would water down the filling and need far longer cooking.

Are apricot squares paleo?

Yes — the base is almond flour and sliced almonds bound with coconut oil and palm sugar, with no grains, dairy, or butter in the pan.

How do I cut clean squares?

Cool completely, lift the slab out with the foil sling, then cut with a sharp knife. A skewer or thin spatula slides under each row to release them neatly.

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