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More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally Publisher: The Book Publishing Company © 2006 by Fran Costigan ISBN: 1570671834

Reprinted with permission from the author, Fran Costigan.

Apricot Currant Nut and Oat Bars (p. 86)
Yield: one 8 x 8-inch pan (12 to 16 pieces)

Dried apricots are pitted, unpeeled apricot halves that have had a large percentage of their moisture removed. They are a great source of vitamin A, iron, and calcium, but you will want to make these bars simply because they taste so good.

Ingredients

• 2 cups unsweetened dried apricots (about 2/3 pound)
• 1/2 cup currants
• 1 (2-inch) strip orange zest
• 1 cup orange or apple juice
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 6 tablespoons pecans, toasted and cooled
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup unbleached white flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 to 5 tablespoons canola oil
• 5 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon brown rice syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 tablespoons dark whole cane sugar

Directions

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Oil and 8 x 8-inch baking pan.
2. Combine the apricots, currants, zest, and juice in a medium saucepan. Simmer over low heat until the fruit has absorbed almost all of the juice. Set aside to cool.
3. Process the oats and half of the pecans in a food processor until coarsely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl.
4. Place a wire mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Add the pastry flour, white flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt into the strainer. Tap the strainer against the palm of your hand to sift the ingredients into the bowl. Stir the ingredients with a whisk to combine.
5. Mix 4 tablespoons of the oil, the maple syrup, rice syrup and vanilla and almond extracts in a small bowl until well combined. Pour into the dry mixture and stir until the mixture holds together when squeezed. Add the remaining tablespoon oil if needed to make the dough moister.
6. Put half of the dough into the prepared pan. To prevent the dough from sticking to your fingers, place a piece of plastic wrap over it before pressing it evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cool 10 minutes.
7. Remove the zest from the fruit and spoon the fruit over the crust. Crumble the remaining dough on top, and sprinkle with the remaining pecans and the dark whole cane sugar. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the topping is golden brown. Place the pan on a rack and cool to room temperature or refrigerate before cutting in order to make the neatest cuts.
8. Cut into quarters and slice each quarter horizontally into three or four pieces. Use a narrow angled spatula to remove the bars from the pan. The first piece may break (it can be your sample piece) but the rest will remove easily.

Cook's Notes

Dried apricots are a healthful food but are routinely sprayed (as are other dried fruits) with sulfites, which can cause deadly reactions in asthmatics and others who suffer from sulfite allergies. Choose sulfite-free apricots whenever possible (check the label).

You can usually estimate there to be 8 to 12 apricots to a pound of dried fruit.

Fruit Nut and Oat Bars: Replace the apricots and currants with an equal quantity of other dried fruit.