Gluten-Free Oatmeal Apricot Bars (Printable)
Chewy bars with dried apricots and hearty gluten-free oats. Perfect snack or breakfast treat.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
02 - 1 cup almond flour
03 - 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
04 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
05 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
06 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
07 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
08 - 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
09 - 1 large egg, room temperature
10 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
→ Filling
11 - 1 1/2 cups dried apricots, chopped
12 - 1/3 cup orange juice
13 - 2 tablespoons honey
14 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing overhang for easy removal.
02 - Combine chopped dried apricots, orange juice, honey, and lemon zest in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apricots soften and mixture becomes jammy. Cool slightly.
03 - In a large bowl, combine gluten-free oats, almond flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk melted butter, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth.
05 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until fully combined and crumbly throughout.
06 - Press two-thirds of the oat mixture evenly into the prepared pan to form the base.
07 - Spread the cooled apricot filling evenly over the oat base.
08 - Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the apricot layer. Press gently to adhere.
09 - Bake for 25-30 minutes until top is golden brown and set.
10 - Cool completely in the pan. Lift out using parchment overhang and slice into 12 bars.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The texture is somehow both chewy and tender, like a perfect hug in bar form
- They taste like you spent all day baking but come together in under an hour
02 -
- Letting the apricot filling cool slightly before spreading prevents it from melting your oat base into a weird soggy situation
- Pressing the base firmly creates a sturdy foundation, but pressing the topping too hard will make it dense instead of delightfully crumbly
03 -
- Measure your almond flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling off, rather than scooping directly, which prevents packing and overly dense bars
- If your oat mixture feels too dry to hold together when squeezed, add just one teaspoon of water at a time until it cooperates