Do You Like Apricots???

If so, you HAVE to try this recipe!!! I have a particular fondness for the dried, wrinkly apricots...

These are homemade "granola" bars... they're amazing/awesome/incredible & SUPER, SUPER easy to make!

Here's the recipe:

Crust mixture:
1 1/4 cups of flour
1 1/4 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup of butter, melted
1/2 teas. baking soda
1/4 teas salt
2 teas of vanilla extract

Filling:
1 (10 oz) jar of apricot preserves
1/2 cup flaked coconut *optional*


1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Set aside.

2. Make the crumb mixture- combine all the crumb mixture ingredients. With an electric mixer beat at low speed until its crumbly and well mixed. (about 1-2 minutes) Set aside one cup of the crumb mixture for later :)

3. Press the rest of the crumb mixture in your greased pan- it presses really nicely :)

4. spread apricot preserves to within 1/2 inch from edge of the crust. Sprinkle with the 1 cup of "reserved" crumb mixture. & coconut if you'd like...

5. Bake for 22-27 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned... let them cool completely, then cut into bars. Wal-lah! Homemade granola bars! :)



***Maeve CHOWS THESE DOWN! And she is the pickiest eater on the earth! So I'm sure your kids will like them :) Also- if you don't like apricots, I'm sure you could substitute them with some other preserve... Oh and one more tip- I make a little bit extra crumb topping because sometimes I don't have enough to cover all the filling...

Enjoy!