Apricot Bar Cookies

Apricot Bar Cookies

Here is a cookie recipe that is guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth and is as easy to make as 1-2-3. It features healthy items such as apricots, apple juice, coconut oil and rolled oats and calls for raw organic brown sugar instead of the less healthy refined white sugar.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup packed raw organic brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup coconut oil (warm slightly to liquify if necessary)
5 Tbsp. apple juice, divided
1/2 cup apricot jam, preferably fruit-sweetened
1 package (7 oz.) dried apricots, diced
Extra virgin light olive oil to coat baking pan

(As always, for the very healthiest versions of any recipe choose organic content as much as possible.)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 X 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, mix together oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda until well combined. In small bowl, whisk oil and 3 tablespoons juice together and pour over oat mixture, blending well until moist and crumbly. Reserve 3/4 cup for topping. Press the remainder evenly into prepared pan.

3. In small bowl, blend jam with remaining 2 tablespoons apple juice. Stir in dried apricots. Spread evenly over crust. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over apricots, lightly pressing down with fingers. Bake 35 min. or until golden. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Makes 16 bars.
Per serving: 162 calories, 5 g total fat (<1 saturated fat), 28 g carbohydrate, 2 g protein, 2 g dietary fiber, 63 mg sodium.

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