Stephanie's Apricot Crumbles

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup apricot jam or preserves
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Heat oven to 375° F. Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter.

In a food processor, combine the flour, granulated and light brown sugars, baking powder, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the remaining butter and pulse until crumbly. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and pulse until the mixture just comes together but is still crumbly. Transfer 1/2 cup of the dough to a small bowl or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Use your fingertips to press the remaining dough evenly into the baking dish, pushing the dough up about 1/4 inch around the edge.

Combine the jam and ginger in a small bowl. Spread the mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble the remaining refrigerated dough over the top. Bake until golden, about 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before cutting.

Tip: If you're time-pressed, just stick the pan in the freezer for 5 minutes instead of waiting for the bars to cool on the counter.

Yield: Makes 9 servings

CALORIES 408 (46% from fat); FAT 21g (sat 13g); SUGAR 23g; PROTEIN 3g; CHOLESTEROL 77mg; SODIUM 111mg; FIBER 1g; CARBOHYDRATE 52g

Real Simple, JUNE 2006


J Bar Variation

Add apple pie filling instead of apricot and ginger. Apple pie filing is more moist. This recipe will require 4 additional minutes of baking time and Cinnamon if not included in your pie filling.