Gluten Free Apricot Bars

These old fashioned bars are perfect for a dessert or brunch item. The chewy interior is the perfect balance to the crumbly topping. The recipe was given to me by an old family friend who is a seasoned baker and a wonderful cook. She takes simple ingredients and makes delicious desserts.  The apricot filling is a mix of apricot preserves and chopped walnuts so it is important to use a good quality product.  I often find really good deals on jams and jellies at Ocean State Job Lot stores or at Christmas Tree Shops if these are in your area. A jar that would sell for $6 in a specialty store will probably be around $2.49 at these places.

  

Recipe:

1 3/4 cup gluten free all-purpose baking mix**

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1  egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flaked coconut 

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1 12 oz. jar good apricot preserves

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.

Add gluten free baking mix and then the coconut, you will need to use a spoon for this as the dough is sticky. 

Spray a 8" baking pan with non-stick spray. 

 Pat half of dough into bottom of the pan with your fingers. Then spread apricot preserves on top if the dough and sprinkle with nuts. Drop the rest of the dough by spoonfuls on top of the apricot layer, you will be mostly covering the entire layer. Bake for 30 minutes @ 350 degrees. Cool completely before cutting. 

**The gluten free all-purpose baking mix can be found @www.glutenfreebakingmixes.com