Apricot Bars

Apricot Bars

2/3   cup dried apricots

½ cup soft butter

¼ cup sugar

1 cup flour

2 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

½ cup chopped almonds

1 tsp almond extract

Icing sugar

Cover apricots with water in small saucepan. Bring to boil, turn down heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Drain, cool and chop finely.

Heat oven to 170c 350f.  Grease 8x8 –x2 inch (20.5 x20.5-x5c) cake pan

Mix butter sugar and 1 cup flour with a fork then with your fingertips until crumbly. Press firmly in an even layer in prepared pan.

Bake 20 – 25 minutes or until set and lightly browned.

Beat eggs well. Beat in brown sugar gradually. Sift 1/3 cup of flour, baking powder and salt into egg mixture and blend well. Stir in apricots, almonds and almond extract. Spread over baked bottom crust. Return to oven and bake for 30 minutes longer.

Cool to lukewarm and sift icing sugar generously over top. Cool before cutting into bars.