These apricot crumble squares are a great twist on the classic fruit crumble tarts. A simple and easy recipe to make whether you use fresh, canned, or frozen apricots. Also, a perfect make-ahead bite-size dessert you can bring with you to BBQs and parties. This is definitely a crowd-pleaser and a great tea-time snack.
Table of Content
One of the best things about summer is, of course, the variety of summer fruits. Whether you are talking berries, stone fruits, or melons. And, for a person like me who loves to bake fruit desserts, it's party time. My mind is constantly working on what next to bake with these beauties.
There is so much you can do with apricots from desserts to savory dishes. For example, you can add some apricot puree to vanilla ice cream, or chopped apricot to your salad or grains such as apricot quinoa salad with a honey sauce with fresh herbs. And, you can add apricot to your meat such as apricot chicken, or grilled serve it with grilled chicken breast or pork chops.
Whether you call these bars, crumble slices, or squares, they are really simple and easy to make. In fact, often I get my Rhea to prepare the crumble topping with her hands. And, she finds it so fascinating to just squish the flour, butter, and sugar.
Why make these bars?
- If you love crumbles, then this buttery goodness is a must-try recipe.
- The recipe is simple and easy to make because we use the same mixture for the base as well as the top.
- I am making apricot desserts but this is good with almost any fruit in season whether it is summer or winter.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Apricots - The star of the show. And yet, the apricot season, unfortunately, is really short. Today, I am using fresh apricots, but canned or frozen work just as well.
And, if you are using frozen apricots, you can keep the amount of sugar the same. However, if you use sweet canned apricots, then I suggest reducing the sugar by half. In fact, the best practice is to taste and see how sweet they are. And, if you are not sure, then half the amount of sugar would work great as a guide. - White granulated sugar - I like my crumble topping to be a lighter color. So, I prefer to use white sugar. And yet, you can easily substitute with light or brown sugar, using the same quantity. Also, take note that brown sugar contains molasses, so it will influence the taste and flavor.
- Unsalted Butter - I always use unsalted because I like to control the amount of salt I use. And, if you use salted butter that's fine, just omit salt in the recipe. Also, margarine or veg shortening works as well. And yet, they both will affect the texture of the crumble; margarine has a bit more liquid, so you may need to use a tad less. And, veg shorting will make the crumble topping more crispy.
- Spice mix - There is so much flavor you can add to this, and yet, simple vanilla on its own works great. In winter, I often use pumpkin spice or gingerbread spice in my apricot squares. And, cinnamon is another spice that also does great here. A bit non-traditional, but a pinch of garam masala in winter works wonderfully too.
Fresh, frozen or canned apricots
Unfortunately, apricots have a very short season. So often we have to rely on frozen or canned apricots. Both work great! Today I am using fresh apricots.
- Fresh Apricots - If using fresh apricots, wash the apricots, score a cross on the skin, and blanch them in hot water for three minutes. Then, drop them in cold water so the skin peels off easily.
Remove skin, chop, and use as needed. - Canned Apricots - Drain apricots well. Chop and use as suggested in the recipe.
- Frozen apricots - Thaw apricots, drain any excess liquid then use as suggested in the recipe.
Easy apricot crumble bars
- Preheat oven to 375 °F 190 °C / Gas Mark 5
- Use an 8 x 8 square cake pan or a 7 x 9" rectangle pan. Line it with parchment paper and make sure you have an excess at the edges so you can pick it out of the pan.
Pro tip - I find the square pan makes 16 even squares. But, you can use any pan or dish similar in size.
Crumble mix
- In a food processor - add flour, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, spice mix, and cold cubed butter. Pulse a few times - until crumbly. Not too much.
Pro tip - We want a crumble with some small pieces and some large pieces of butter. These will give us a good texture and mouthfeel. - Pour the crumble into two separate bowls - one for the base and one for the top.
Pro tip - I use a little extra for the base and less for the topping. This gives a bit more structure to the base so the squares will hold better. - Top crumble - Keep the bowl for the crumble topping in the fridge to stay cold.
Pro tip - The butter in the crumble must be chilled well when added on the top. Otherwise, it will melt instead of bake like a crumble. - Base crumble - Add the 2 tablespoon of milk to the crumble for the base and stir well. Then, pour the mixture into the baking pan. Use the back of a spoon to press it down firmly.
Pro tip - The milk makes sure the base is pressed firmly and does not crumble when we cut the squares so don't omit it. - Bake the base for 10 mins until lightly golden but not cooked thru. Cool for 5 minutes.
Pro tip - We want the base to be partially cooked so it is firm as a base, this way it won't soak up all the filling juices and crumble apart.
Prepare the filling
- Fresh Apricots - Wash the apricots, score a cross on the bottom skin, and blanch them in hot water for three minutes. Then, drop them in cold water so the skin peels off easily. Remove skin, chop them into smaller pieces.
Pro tip - If using canned or frozen peaches please read the notes above for details. - In a medium bowl, combine together the sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, salt, and cornflour into the apricots. The cornflour will help thicken those juices nicely.
Pro tip - Do not prepare the filling too early. The apricots will give out all the juices and the juices will make the base too wet and soggy.
Bake
- Pour the filling over the base and spread evenly. Generously sprinkle the crumble top mixture all over the apricot filling (saved in the fridge). I use my fingers but a spoon works too.
Pro tip - The top does not have to be even. In fact, the more uneven it is the better the baked crumble topping. - Continue to bake in the oven for another 25 to 40 minutes until lightly golden. When done, cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes.
Pro tip - If left in the pan for too long the sides may get stuck. Just take a knife and run through the edges. - Cut into 16 to 18 squares. I get about 16 squares from the square pan and about 18 squares from the rectangular pan.
Pro tip - The top is quite crumbly, so do the best you can when cutting. A sharp long knife does a better job than a short blade.
Tips for success
- Make sure the butter is chilled so it crumbles like breadcrumbs otherwise it will cream like cookie dough.
- We want the crumble mixture to have a combination of big and small pieces. This will give us the best texture and stability for our bars.
- Make sure the base is pressed down firmly otherwise the bars will a mess.
- Do not skip prebaking the base this will ensure it is cooked as well as make a firmer, not soggier base.
- Add the filling to the baked base just before baking. Otherwise, the filling will soak into the base and make it soggy.
- You can also add fresh fruit along with the filling to make a fruitier treat. But do not add too much filling or fruit as it will make weeker soggy bars.
- Bake until the crumble has a light golden color but not too dark. Otherwise, the crumble will become hard when cooled.
- Let the crumble cool in the pan for a few minutes or until warm before you cut into it. Cooling will make better and fewer crumbs when cutting.
- Spice mix - There is so much flavor you can add to this and yet simple vanilla on its own works great. In winter I often use pumpkin spice or gingerbread spice in my apricot squares. Cinnamon is another spice that does great here too!
More apricot recipes
Frequently asked questions
You can substitute one cup of flour with one cup of oats. And, keep everything else the same and follow the same process.
You can use dried apricots, but you will need to soak the apricot for a few hours (overnight is best) so the apricots hydrate before you continue with the recipe. Also, taste the apricots and adjust sweetness accordingly.
Jam is quite sweet. So, the bars will be very sweet unless you have a jam with less sugar like my homemade apricot jam. Having said that, you can omit the sugar in the crumble, which will reduce sugar considerably. Also, add a few tablespoons of water to the jam and heat it for a minute so it's a spreadable consistency. Then, top with crumble and bake.
There is so much you can do with apricots from desserts to savory dishes. For example, you can:
- Make an apricot tart or apricot clafoutis
- add some apricot puree to vanilla ice cream, or
- add chopped apricot to your salad or grains such as apricot quinoa salad with a honey sauce with fresh herbs.
- And, you can add apricot to your meat such as apricot chicken, or grilled serve it with girls such as chicken breasts or pork chops.
Of course, we regularly make apricot jams, apricot preserves, or ginger apricot chutney.
Top your Greek yogurt with chopped apricots, walnuts or pistachios, and honey or maple syrup.
Wrap apricot halves in puff pastry to make quick apricot turnovers.
Absolutely, you can use blueberries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and even strawberries. You can also try my blueberry cream cheese crumb bars, Cherry pie crumble bars, raspberry peach crumble, Apple Pie Crumble bars.
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Printable Recipe
Apricot Crumble Squares
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Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 cups Apricots (chopped (about 6 apricots))
- ¾ cup (150 g) White granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon Cornflour/ cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Base and Top
- 2 cups (250 g) All-purpose flour
- 6 oz (170 g) Butter (cold, unsalted)
- ½ cup (100 g) Sugar (white)
- 2 tablespoon Milk (whole)
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Spice powder ((cinnamon, pumpkin spice, or gingerbread spices))
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 °F 190 °C / Gas Mark 5
- Use an 8 x 8 square cake pan or a 7 x 9" rectangle pan. Line it with parchment paper and make sure you have an excess at the edges so you can pick it out of the pan. Pro tip - I find the square pan makes 16 even squares. But, you can use any pan similar in size.
crumble mix
- In a food processor - add flour, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, spice mix, and cold cubed butter. Pulse a few times - until crumbly. Not too much.Pro tip - we want a crumble with some small pieces and some large pieces of butter. These will give us a good texture and mouthfeel.
- Pour the crumble into two separate bowls - one for the base and one for the top. Pro tip - I use a little extra for the base and less for the topping. This gives a bit more structure to the base so the squares will hold better
- Top crumble - Keep the bowl for the crumble topping in the fridge to stay cold.Pro tip - the butter in the crumble must be chilled well when added on the top, otherwise, it will melt instead of bake like a crumble.
- Base crumble - Add the 2 tablespoon of milk to the crumble for the base and combine well. Then pour the mixture into the baking pan. Use the back of a spoon to press it down firmly. Pro tip - the milk makes sure the base is pressed firmly and does not crumble when we cut the squares so don't omit it.
- Bake the base for 10 mins until lightly golden but not cooked thru. Cool for 5 minutes. Pro tip - we want the base to be partially cooked so it is firm as a base, this way it won't soak up all the filling juices and crumble apart.
Filling
- Fresh Apricots - wash the apricots, score a cross on the bottom skin, and blanch them in hot water for three minutes. Then drop them in cold water so the skin peels off easily. Remove skin, chop them into smaller pieces. Pro tip - if using canned or frozen peaches please read the notes above for details.
- In a bowl combine together the sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, salt, and cornflour to the apricots. The cornflour will help thicken those juices nicely. Pro tip - Do not prepare the filling too early. The apricots will give out all the juices and the juices will make the base too wet and soggy.
Bake
- Pour the filling over the base and spread evenly. Generously sprinkle the crumble top mixture all over the apricot filling (saved in the fridge). I use my fingers but a spoon works too. Pro tip - the top does not have to be even, in fact, the more uneven it is the better the baked crumble topping.
- Continue to bake in the oven for another 25 to 40 minutes until lightly golden. When done cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes. Pro tip - If left in the pan for too long the sides may get stuck. Just take a knife and run through the edges.
- Cut into 16 to 18 squares. I get about 16 squares from the square pan and about 18 squares from the rectangular panPro tip - the top is quite crumbly so do the best you can when cutting. A sharp long knife does a better job than a short blade.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Make sure the butter is chilled so it crumbles like breadcrumbs otherwise it will cream like cookie dough.
- We want the crumble mixture to have a combination of big and small pieces. This will give us the best texture and stability for our bars.
- Make sure the base is pressed down firmly otherwise the bars will a mess.
- Do not skip prebaking the base this will ensure it is cooked as well as make a firmer, not soggier base.
- Add the filling to the baked base just before baking otherwise, the filling will soak into the base and make it soggy.
- You can also add fresh fruit along with the filling to make a fruitier bar. But do not add too much filling or fruit as it will make weeker soggy bars.
- Bake until the crumble has a light golden color but not too dark, otherwise, the crumble will become hard when cooled.
- Let the crumble cool in the pan for a few minutes or until warm before you cut into it. Cooling will make better and fewer crumbs when cutting.
- Spice mix - There is so much flavor you can add to this and yet simple vanilla on its own works great. In winter I often use pumpkin spice or gingerbread spice in my apricot squares. Cinnamon is another spice that does great here too!
- Fruit
- Fresh Apricots - If using fresh apricots, wash the apricots, score a cross on the skin, and blanch them in hot water for three minutes. Then drop them in cold water so the skin peels off easily.
Remove skin, chop, and use as needed. - Canned Apricots - Drain apricots well. Chop and use as suggested in the recipe.
- Frozen apricots - Thaw apricots, drain any excess liquid then use as suggested in the recipe.
- Fresh Apricots - If using fresh apricots, wash the apricots, score a cross on the skin, and blanch them in hot water for three minutes. Then drop them in cold water so the skin peels off easily.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Connie Lee Bills
Loved this recipe. I added some ground flax and chopped almonds to the filling because I mixed it too early and this helped it stay thicker.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you for the lovely feedback, Connie.
Rosalie
I was a bit disappointed in the crumble in this recipe. I made it exactly as described, with very cold butter, with bigger and smaller bits of butter, but it still all kind of melted into a flat topping with very little crumble consistency. I subbed 1 cup gluten-free quick oats and used 1 cup gluten-free flour for the rest, so maybe the GF flour changed the properties of the crumble? In any case, the bars are VERY tasty!! I really hated peeling the apricots though - next time I might skip this step, but I wonder what would happen.
Veena Azmanov
Rosalie, sorry you were disappointed with this recipe.
I have not tested it with gluten-free flour so I cannot give you feedback on that. However, I do know that gluten-free does not work the same as all-purpose flour.
Ideally, you need the crumble to be chilled when it goes in the oven but in this case, perhaps you needed more GFflour for the same amount of butter.
I'm happy they were still tasty. Thanks for the feedback.
Beebee
Delicious!! And fun to make. I would like more precision on how to split the 2 crumble parts. The bottom was too thick after I guessed at what to do. Do you usually go half and half or some other ratio?
Veena Azmanov
Beebee, You make half and take a little extra for the bottom. In fact, you can even do half! I just think a little extra adds a bit more stability to the squares.
Bernardene Beazley
Just made this recipe with fresh apricots, I didn't have any lemon juice so added an extra tablespoon of cornflour as the filling looked a little runny.
Delicious! thank you
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Bernardene. Happy to hear you liked it. Sounds like you had very juicy apricots. It is good you added cornstarch as it helps thicken the juices
Lisa
I think the flour/butter ratio was a bit off, as the crumb topping ended up being quite light in color and didn't get that light golden brown I was looking for, nor the toasty flavor that normally comes from brown sugar in the crumb topping. As a result the top seemed quite light and floury even after being in the oven for 35 minutes (the edges of the base burnt). Also I think I would've enjoyed a different base. Having the crumb mixture at the base in addition to the topping made it quite buttery and heavy to eat. In addition the apricots I got were quite sour. I was expecting 1/2-3/4 cup sugar to sweeten it up but it did not. This recipe was not for me. Don't understand why there are so many 5 star ratings from people who have not actually baked this recipe yet, and are just commenting on how good it LOOKS. I generally don't leave negative feedback, but given that this is one of the first recipes that shows up when you search for apricot baked deserts, I really want to leave my input here for any other innocent bakers stumbling upon this recipe for what to expect or maybe learn from my experience.
Veena Azmanov
Hey Lisa. sorry, this recipe was not for you. This is actually quite the standard crumble recipe made into bars.
A crumble is usually a buttery mixture.
And, you are right this is a very popular recipe and many have tried it successfully.
The fact that it is nice and buttery and uses one mixture for both and bottom is what makes this more desirable and popular with people.
Apricots have a natural tart/sweet taste which balances nicely with the crumble mixture. Unfortunately, you had very sour apricots so that threw off the whole equation of balance.
Thank you for your feedback. I'm sure it will help the rest know what to look for.
Debbie
The recipe says to add the vanilla to the filling, but there is no vanilla in the filling section.
Veena Azmanov
Hey Debbie, Yes, there is a vanilla extract in the filling as well. Thanks for bringing it to my attention