Apricot Bars with Cardamom-Butter Glaze

Honorable Mention - Contest Recipe 2008! Apricots and almond flavoring marry in a delicious fruit bar.

Prep Time

1:10

Hr:Mins

Total Time

2:45

Hrs:Mins

Makes

bars

Filling

large orange

cups chopped dried apricots

1/4

cup granulated sugar

2/3

cup water

tablespoons butter or margarine

Cookie Base

pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix

teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2

cup cold butter or margarine

1/4

teaspoon almond extract

egg, slightly beaten

1/2

cup sliced almonds, coarsely chopped

Glaze

1/2

cup powdered sugar

tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1/4

teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4

teaspoon almond extract

to 2 teaspoons warm water

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Grate 2 teaspoons peel and squeeze juice from orange. In 2-quart saucepan, heat orange juice, orange peel, apricots, granulated sugar and 2/3 cup water to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter; stir until melted. Mash filling with fork or potato masher until fairly smooth. Set aside.
In large bowl, mix cookie mix and 1 teaspoon cardamom. Cut in 1/2 cup butter, using pastry blender or fork, until mixture is crumbly. Add almond extract and egg; toss with fork to combine. Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture.
Press remaining crumb mixture in bottom of pan. Bake 15 minutes.
Spoon filling evenly over warm cookie base. Stir almonds into reserved crumb mixture; sprinkle over filling. Bake 25 to 30 minutes longer or until topping is light golden brown. Cool 10 minutes.
In small bowl, stir glaze ingredients, using enough warm water until glaze is thin enough to drizzle. Place glaze in small resealable plastic food-storage bag; seal bag. Cut off small tip from one corner of bag. Squeeze bag to drizzle glaze over warm bars. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 4 rows. Store covered at room temperature.

Makes 32 bars

Make the Most of This Recipe With Tips From The Betty Crocker^® Kitchens

Substitution

No cardamom? It's a unique aromatic spice, a member of the ginger family and also a bit pricey. If you leave it out of the recipe, the flavor will be different, but you'll still get a delicious bar. Go ahead and try it.

Nutrition Information:

1 Serving (1 Bar)

Calories 150

(Calories from Fat 60),

Total Fat 7g

(Saturated Fat 3g,
Trans Fat 1/2g),

Cholesterol 20mg;
Sodium 80mg;
Total Carbohydrate 21g

(Dietary Fiber 1g,
Sugars 15g),

Protein 1g;

Percent Daily Value*:

Exchanges:

0 Starch;
0 Fruit;
1 1/2 Other Carbohydrate;
0 Skim Milk;
0 Low-Fat Milk;
0 Milk;
0 Vegetable;
0 Very Lean Meat;
0 Lean Meat;
0 High-Fat Meat;
1 1/2 Fat;

Carbohydrate Choices:

1 1/2;

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Apricot Bars with Cardamom-Butter Glaze

Make the Most of This Recipe With Tips From The Betty Crocker® Kitchens

Make the Most of This Recipe With Tips From The Betty Crocker^® Kitchens