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Apricot Pastry Bars Recipe

Apricot Pastry Bars Recipe photo by Taste of Home

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Perfect for a casual gathering or fancier event, this recipe from field editor Nancy Foust of Stoneboro, Pennsylvania is a crowd-pleaser. "These special bars were among 40 kinds of cookies and bars I made for my niece's wedding reception," she says.

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Apricot Pastry Bars Recipe

Prep: 45 min. Bake: 35 min. + cooling

Yield: 50 Servings

45 35 80

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup shortening
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup 2% milk
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cans (12 ounces each) apricot filling
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, 2 egg whites, milk and vanilla; gradually add to crumb mixture, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide in half, making one portion slightly larger.
Roll out larger portion of dough between two large sheets of waxed paper into a 17-in. x 12-in. rectangle. Transfer to an ungreased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Press pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of pan; trim pastry even with top edges. Spread apricot filling over dough; sprinkle with walnuts.
Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pan; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in top. Whisk remaining egg white; brush over pastry. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.
Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: about 4 dozen.

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 each) equals 125 calories, 6 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 13 mg cholesterol, 63 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein.

Originally published as Apricot Pastry Bars in Taste of Home August/September 2007, p11

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Reviews for Apricot Pastry Bars

Apricot Pastry Bars

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Reviewed on Oct. 11, 2011 by Shangela

These were great! I ended up having to use apricot jam because I couldn't find the filling at the multiple stores that I tried. Sent them to work with my husband & they were a huge hit, but I will probably never make these again. I found them very difficult to make because the dough was very flaky & fell apart the minute I tried to transfer from counter to pan.

Reviewed on Aug. 17, 2011 by golliwog

These will also work well with any kind of Canned filling including home made Crabapple filling adjusting the sugar to your taste.

Reviewed on Jan. 27, 2011 by xicota

These are heavenly! This is a special occasion cookie; it takes time to prepare, and the cans of filling needed are a bit costly, but I recommend using the filling and not substituting with apricot preserves. The filling is thicker and has less liquid in it, which holds the layers together better. I substituted butter for the shortening---I don't like shortening and never use it. The dough is soft, so it takes some care to handle. I did have a problem with not having enough dough for the top crust; I had to patch here and there with the trimmings, and placing the top crust was a challenge. I was concerned that the top crust would not look smooth and even, but it did bake out remarkably well. The baked pastry is soft, similar to a newton cookie, but it does cut very nicely. My family loved these, so this recipe will go into my "keeper" file.