Name: Apricot-Date Bars
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 49
Ingredients: Quick-cooking oats - 1 ¾ cups; All-purpose flour - 1 ½ cups; Packed brown sugar, divided - 1 ½ cups; Baking soda - ¾ tablespoon; Salt - ¼ teaspoon; Butter, softened - ¾ cup; Pitted and chopped dates - 1 ¼ cups; Chopped dried apricots - 1 ¼ cups; Orange juice - 1 cup; Vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon

Ingredients for - Apricot-Date Bars

1. Quick-cooking oats 1 ¾ cups

2. All-purpose flour 1 ½ cups

3. Packed brown sugar, divided 1 ½ cups

4. Baking soda ¾ tablespoon

5. Salt ¼ teaspoon

6. Butter, softened ¾ cup

7. Pitted and chopped dates 1 ¼ cups

8. Chopped dried apricots 1 ¼ cups

9. Orange juice 1 cup

10. Vanilla extract 1 teaspoon

How to cook deliciously - Apricot-Date Bars

1 . Stage

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2 . Stage

Mix oats, flour, 1 cup brown sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in butter until mixture is crumbly.

3 . Stage

Press a little over half of the crumbly mixture into the bottom of a 10x15-inch baking pan.

4 . Stage

Bake in the preheated oven until starting to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

5 . Stage

Combine remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, dates, apricots, and orange juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir until thickened, breaking up any clumps, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Cool filling slightly, about 5 minutes.

6 . Stage

Drop spoonfuls of warm filling over the crust. Spread evenly with an offset spatula. Sprinkle remaining crumbly mixture evenly over the filling; press gently into the filling.

7 . Stage

Bake in the preheated oven until top is lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Cut into 1-1/4x2-inch bars with a pastry cutter while still hot. Cool bars in the pan, about 20 minutes.