This recipe was inspired by my mother. She had called me the other week to say that she had failed terribly with the raw chocolate brownie recipe as on grinding all the necessary nuts she had realised she had no cacao and no dates! However, never one to give up,  especially on a sweet treat (like mother like daughter) she searched her cupboards and found a packet of dried apricots so daringly decided to try them instead.
Declaring that her apricot creation were ‘the most delicious bars she had ever tried’ (trumpet well and truly blown) I thought I would utilise what I had in the cupboard and give them a go for myself – if only to prove (to myself) that my brownies were a firm winner!
These apricot bars are indeed delicious so much so that I can’t differentiate which is better between them and the raw brownies. Even my ever loyal guinea pig (husband) couldn’t say which he preferred! The bars themselves taste indulgent, with the sweet tang of apricot, the creaminess of the cashews / macadamia mix and the crunch of the other nuts.
What you need:
To make approximately 12
*1/2 cup (4-5) pitted medjool dates
*150 g apricots
*100g cashew
*100g macadamia
*100g mixed nuts (brazil nuts, pecans, almonds, walnuts etc – anything you have in your cupboard)
*3 tbsp desiccated coconut
Directions:
- In to a food processor place your cashew nuts, macadamia nuts and half your mixed nuts
- Pulse for 20 seconds until fully broken down
- Add in apricots, dates and coconuts and blitz for a further 2 minutes (give your blender REGULAR breaks) until your mixture binds in to a ball – by now the nuts will have released their oils and the ball will be sticky and dough like
- In greased walled baking sheet press your mixture down to desired thickness. I usually keep mine about 1.5cm thick
- Pressthe remaining mixed nuts onto the top of the mixture
- Place in the fridge for 2 hrs before serving
Note: Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks
Suitable for:Â Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Paleo
So, I put it to you guys to decide. If you have already tried the raw chocolate brownies, why not give these a go?
Hi Mrs P,
They look lovely can’t wait to try them. One question though, you don’t mention what to do with the other half of the mixed nuts?
Cheers
Ian
Hi Ian- ah I see I failed to mention that- sorry! With the remaining 50g mixed nuts I use a knife to roughly chop them and then press them in to the top of the mixture for added crunch once you have pressed the mixture in to your dish. Hope that helps!
Hi Mrs P. Made these the other night for after dinner party treat! They were delicious – we had them with strawberries. The whole batch went in one go 🙂
xx
Oh I am THRILLED to hear Lara! Thank you so much for letting me know! They are indeed very yummy and the strawberries sound like a great accompaniment! :o)
Thanks for the recepie. I have pinned it, so I easily can buy the ingredients tomorrow while shopping. Can’t wait to try them 🙂
Do you have a recepie for a delicious Paleo bread as well? A link to my email would be very much appreciated.
Best regards
Liv
Hi Liv, thank you so much for taking the time to comment! There’s a courgette and walnut bread recipe on my blog if that’s the kind of thing you are looking for! https://thelowcarbkitchen.co.uk/2014/06/11/mrs-ps-courgette-and-walnut-bread-gluten-and-dairy-free/ Do let me know how you get on with the apricot bars and enjoy! 🙂