'Surprisingly good!' This was the response I kept getting about these Rosemary Apricot Squares.
Rosemary and apricot are two of my favorite flavors but I've never tried them together. Probably never would have either if it hadn't been the selection for this week's Baked Sunday Mornings.
A tender shortbread crust is elevated to a new level with the herbaceous addition of rosemary. Knowing how strong rosemary can be, I went a little shy of what the recipe calls for and found it was perfect. The woodsy flavor complemented the butteriness of the shortbread and the sweetness of the apricot.
I failed to read the recipe notes carefully before shopping and bought apricots that were made in Turkey and sulfured, both no-nos according to the authors. Didn't seem to matter though as the apricot filling was delicious. I chopped the apricots before cooking them down in the mixture of sugar, honey, water, and brandy. The filling took only a little bit of time and a couple of steps but was impressive in flavor.
Topping it all off is the crumb topping featuring a generous helping of pecans and brown sugar. Perfect!
This recipe is what I love most about the Baked books - ordinary ingredients twisted into new flavor combinations. This recipe can be found at the Baked Sunday Mornings blog, here.
Yeah , arent these favs wonderful when brought together?
ReplyDeleteThe bars look so pretty!
I bought the wrong apricots also...my grocery didn't have the california ones...but they still tasted great! Nice looking bars!
ReplyDeleteI really don't think it matters what kind of apricots you make these with because it is such a good recipe. Your bar looks lovely!
ReplyDeleteI used the same type of apricots...looked for others, but not found...I'll keep looking for later. Your bars are beautiful and I agree that these two flavors...rosemary and apricot...go really well together.
ReplyDeleteMy apricots were not from California either but worked just fine. Loved the combination of flavors even though I was a bit apprehensive with the addition of rosemary! Yours looks perfect!
ReplyDeleteThese look delicious! Glad you enjoyed them.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your comments about the book! Your bars look perfect! A true original. I will reduce the Rosemary next time, but think its great.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the flavor combination was really something special. I'm excited to start combining apricot and rosemary in more ways!
ReplyDeleteI've had my eye on these from the beginning and agree that they were surprisingly good. The filling was totally delicious. Could eat that with a spoon!
ReplyDeletei know the authors bashed the sulfured apricots, but i just love the color of the fruit filling on your bars!
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