Apricot Pistachio Frangipane Bars

Apricots are one of my most favorite fruits- when they are ripe, they are almost creamy and have a wonderful flavor. I was looking for a recipe to use some of the apricots I had, and I found this one from an amazing food blog I love called Smitten Kitchen. The color combination is so pretty!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with frangipane, it is a french almond filling that is used in tarts. It is a little chewy and has a great almond flavor. I was first introduced to it when I watched The Great British Bake Off and one of the challenges was to make a Bakewell Tart (which has frangipane).

This bar recipe is one of my favorites. The apricots become jammy and their flavor intensifies. The pistachio frangipane has a delicate flavor that complements the apricots. The crust is a delicious and like a shortbread. Make sure you use firm-ripe apricots in the bars so that they have the best flavor possible.

Recipe barely changed from this one.

Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter

Filling

3/4 cup (a scant 4 ounces or 110 grams) shelled unsalted pistachios

1 tablespoon all purpose flour
Few pinches of sea salt
6 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 pound firm-ripe apricots

Topping

Powdered Sugar

Directions

Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Cut two 12-inch lengths of parchment paper and trim each to fit the 8-inch width of an 8×8-inch square baking pan. Press it into the bottom and sides of your pan in one direction, then use the second sheet to line the rest of the pan, perpendicular to the first sheet.

Make the crust: Combine the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter into chunks, and add it to the bowl, then run the machine until the mixture forms large clumps, it might take 30 seconds to 1 minute for it to come together, but it will. Transfer the dough clumps to your prepared baking pan and press it evenly across the bottom and 1/4-inch up the sides. Bake for 15 minutes, until very pale golden. To speed up the cooling, place it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.

Make the filling: In your food processor bowl (you don’t have to clean it), grind pistachios, sugar, flour and salt together until the nuts are powdery. Cut the butter into chunks and add it to the machine. Run the machine until no buttery bits are visible. Add almond extract and egg, blending until just combined.

Spread filling over mostly cooled rust. Cut apricots in half and remove pits. Slice each apricot half into thin slices and fan out. Place them onto the pistachio filling.

Bake the bars for 60 minutes, or until they are golden and a toothpick inserted into the pistachio portion comes out batter-free. This might take up to 10 minutes longer depending on the juiciness of your apricots and the amount you were able to nestle in. Let cool completely in pan, you can speed up the cooling in the refrigerator.

To finish, dust a small amount of powdered sugar on top.

Cut bars into squares. Keep leftover bars chilled.

Enjoy!