These luscious apricot nut bars combine sweet apricots, crunchy walnuts and buttery shortbread in a delicate dessert bar. This will be sure to be a favorite for the apricot lovers out there!

Apricot Shortbread Bars

Sweet apricots, crunchy walnuts, and buttery shortbread unite in these old-fashioned apricot nut bars, a vintage dessert that’s a taste of nostalgia!

One of my favorite bar desserts was one my mother-in-law, Stacey’s grandma would make yearly for the holidays, apricot bars.

Every Christmas Stacey’s Grandma and her aunts would make all the family favorites and at each gathering (we had many) they would put out a giant tray of all the goodies that had been made.

Stacey’s grandma always made a big batch of apricot bars. Grandma and the aunts would make lots of cookies and bars and would keep large containers in the cold garage. That’s what we did in West Virginia. We use our garage like an extra fridge in the winter.

Then when we gathered, which was multiple times during holidays, the aunts would get out a big round tray and fill it with all the goodies. After a collective groan and an “I couldn’t possibly eat another bite.,” we’d all dig in.

Though these are a long-time family holiday favorite, you don’t have to wait for the holidays. These delicious treats are great year round for dessert or to have with coffee or tea.

I haven’t located my mother-in-law’s version of apricot bars, but I did find this one and wow, is it a great version.

This recipe comes from my grandmother’s recipe box and this was the first time I’ve ever made them. They were absolutely delicious! My new favorite treat.

Ingredients

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For the Shortbread Crust

1/2 cups soft butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup flour

For the Apricot Nut Topping

1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Powdered sugar

Helpful Kitchen Tools

Instructions

This recipe will bake in two steps. First, you will bake the crust. While that is baking, you can prepare the filling. Then you will spread the filling on top of the crust and finish baking. You will want to allow at least an hour to make this dessert.

To Prep:

Rinse apricots, cover with water, and boil 10 minutes. Drain, cool, and chop.
Grease an 8X8 metal baking pan. Line with a strip of parchment paper if desired.
Preheat oven to 350°F.

To Make the Crust:

Mix together butter, white sugar, and 1 cup of flour, until crumbly.
Pack crust mixture into prepared pan.
Bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes, or until lightly browned.

To Make the Apricot Filling:

Sift together 1/3 cup flour, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl with electric hand mixer) gradually beat the brown sugar into the eggs.
Add flour mixture to the egg and butter mixture and mix well.
Stir in the vanilla extract, nuts, and apricots.
Spread apricot mixture on top of the curst. Bake 30 minutes, or until done.
Cool in pan before cutting into bars and rolling in confectioner’s sugar.

Prep Tips

Color – When you shop for apricots, you might notice some packages have bright orange apricots and others have dark brown dried apricots. The bright orange apricots have a preservative applied and the brown ones probably don’t. I used Turkish apricots that did not have a preservative. I was happy with the real apricot flavor. Next time I’ll try the bright orange kind and see how they taste.
Origin – Most of the apricots you see in the store are from Turkey but the other producer is California, so you may see those as well. Both California and Turkish apricots are tasty and the differences are minimal.
Nuts – You can use either pecans or walnuts for these apricot bars. I used chopped walnuts for these. It was a perfect combination of flavors
Prepping the Pan – I used a strip of parchment paper to line my baking pan. It’s not required but I like to remove the entire dessert from the pan so I can cut it into equal sized pieces. But it’s perfectly fine to serve straight from the pan.
Leftovers – You can use your leftover dried apricots and nuts on a charcuterie board or have them for a healthy snack.
Storage – Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

More Dessert Bar Recipes To Try:

Apricot Shortbread Bars Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)

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