Apricot Bars with Coconut and Caramel
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When you have 3 large jars of apricot preserves in your pantry…you make apricot bars!
These bars are best friend & husband approved and are seriously so easy to make.
The crust is buttery and loaded with coconut and the apricot filling is sweet and spiced with cardamom.
Topped with a caramel drizzle that is so simple to make. You’ll be dunking these bars in the caramel it’s that good!
Apricot Bars with Coconut and Caramel Ingredients
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
- Butter, room temperature
- Brown sugar
- Granulated (white) sugar
- Shredded coconut (unsweetened)
- All-Purpose Flour
- Coconut flour
- Cardamom
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract
- Apricot Preserves
- Egg
For the Caramel sauce:
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Brown Sugar
- Butter
- Vanilla Extract
Can I use fresh apricots?
This recipe calls for using apricot preserves. However, you can make them with fresh too. You’ll cook 2 lb. fresh apricots (peeled) and 3/4 cup sugar on the stove until they cook down. Then puree in a food processor.
Can I use oats instead of coconut?
Yes – use 1 1/4 cup oats and mix into the crust/topping mixture.
How to make Apricot Bars
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
- Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar using a hand mixer until combined.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract next. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, coconut, baking powder, cardamom and salt. Mix this into the butter & sugar.
- Spray an 8×8 square baking pan with non-stick baking spray. Press two-thirds of the crust down.
- Spread the apricot preserves on this in an even layer. Crumble the remaining crust on top. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Cool completely then cut into squares. Enjoy with caramel drizzle on top.
Can you freeze Apricot Bars?
Yes. Place in a secure air-tight container and freezer for up to 3 months.
Modifications for this recipe:
- Add nuts! Pecans, walnuts, pistachios, almonds, etc. 1/2-3/4 cup is sufficient.
- You can use fresh apricots, apricot preserves or dried apricots. It’s best to soak the dried apricots overnight and then puree them when ready to start baking. You may need to add sugar to them before too.
- To make gluten free, you can use almond flour or quinoa flour.
Apricot Bars are
- Easy to make
- Delicious for Christmas or any time of year
- A great way to use up apricots
- Buttery and flavorful
- Can be made ahead
- Crowd-pleasing
Other bars you may enjoy:
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Apricot Bars with Coconut and Caramel
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature (12 Tbsp.)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. cardamom
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup apricot preserves
For the caramel
- 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
For the bars:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar using a hand mixer until combined.1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature (12 Tbsp.), 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, coconut, baking powder, cardamom and salt. Mix this in to the butter and sugar.1 large egg, room temperature, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened, 1/2 cup coconut flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. cardamom, pinch of salt
- Spray an 8×8 baking pan with non stick baking spray and press two-thirds of the mixture down into the pan.
- Spread the apricot preserves down in an even layer using a butter knife. Crumble the remaining crust on top. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Let the bars cool completeley and then cut into squares.1 cup apricot preserves
- Right before you cut the bars, make the caramel drizzle.
For the caramel drizzle:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat mix the condensed milk and brown sugar together. Bring to a simmer for 2 minutes then remove from heat. Whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. Serve over the apricot bars.1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk, 1 cup brown sugar, packed, 2 Tbsp. butter, 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Tawnie – I love anything with apricot and the same goes for coconut, so I need to make this recipe. If I wanted to bake this in a 9x 13 pan would that be possible? Would I increase everything by 50% or double, and how would it impact bake time? Thanks.
Hey Jay! Gosh, I haven’t tried in a larger pan so I cannot say for sure. But, doubling the recipe sounds like a safe bet. I don’t think there would be a significant change in bake time. PS – I’ve been working on the crumb cake recipe. I’ve tested it twice now. I still have a few more revisions to make it perfect. The crumb topping might not be as dramatic as just the crumbs. The crumb topping in my recipe right now has 1 cup of butter and the cake itself also has 1 cup of butter. I’m not sure I want people to add more butter HAHA. I’ve been working on make the cake moist and delicious and I’m almost there! Recipe will be published Feb 1st!
Thanks for the quick response Tawnie! I’ve got to make this, as a kid growing up in NYC I remember my mom taking me into a local bakery and she always got an apricot strip dessert that I’ve never been able to find since those days.
This sounds closest, so I am super eager. I made a bunch of apricot rugelach over the holidays and people gobbled them up and said it was their favorite of all the treats I made. I’m also THRILLED that you remember me and are working on the crumb cake recipe. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks.
Hi Tawnie,
Love all your recipes!! Just have a quick question on your Apricot Bars with Coconut and Caramel….the recipe print out has Coconut flour listed….do you put both Coconut flour and Coconut flakes in this dessert.
Thank you for all your great recipes, you’re so much fun to follow. ♥️
Hi Rhonda,
Yes there is both coconut flour and coconut flakes in this recipe 🙂 Thank you so much for following along!! xo
These bars are so good! They turned out perfectly!
Thank you so much Kristen, I am glad!
The perfect use for that jar of apricot preserves that I bought and forgot what I bought it for!
Yes, don’t let it go to waste! Thank you Pam!
These look marvelous. I really like apricots and these are perfect for me and my family.
Thank you so much Andrea!!
These are calling my name! My family would devour these for sure! Thank you for making a great apricot recipe!
Hope you make them! Thank you 🙂
That caramel drizzle is everything!! I should’ve made a double batch because my family ate them up so quickly!
Thank you so much! I am glad they were a hit!