Who else agrees that apricots are Summer’s most underrated fruit?! Maybe I’m alone over here on team apricot, but I feel like they are constantly outshone by their peach and nectarine counterparts. If you’re anything like I used to be, you probably associate the taste of apricots with the extra sweet dried fruit version you can find in most conventional grocery stores. I have nothing against dried fruit, but I’ve now realized it just can’t compare to the perfectly sweet, yet tart, taste of a ripe apricot in July.
There is one thing I do think is better than fresh apricots, though, and that would be fresh apricot jam! Hence, the inspiration behind these absolutely decadent and fruit-filled Vegan Apricot Jam Crumble Bars.
Okay, I’m ready to switch to team apricot: Jump to Recipe
A few months back I made cara cara orange jam for this Vegan Rhubarb, Cara Cara, & Pistachio Galette and was instantly hooked on how easy and fun it is to make jam at home. There’s something magical about turning slightly bitter fruit like oranges and apricots into a sweet jam. Plus, there’s the added bonus of essentially being able to make your fruit last past it’s season. The best part of this recipe? It’s an easy 1:1 swap with any other jam you might be wanting to bake with. I’m obviously biased and feel apricot jam is the best choice, but I 100% plan on trying this recipe with the raspberry and passion-fruit jam I have in my fridge later this summer.
More Thoughts on Making Apricot Jam
If you do attempt to make your own jam just remember it can really vary by batch! I’ve tried this recipe a few times and each time the volume of jam I end up differs slightly. I wish I had the jam making knowledge to tell you exactly why, but I can let you know that the very best apricot jam happened the time I made it with very ripe and soft apricots vs. slightly under-ripe ones.
I also know that, compared to jam made with citrus fruit, apricot jam takes longer to get to the setting point (around 20-30 minutes) and therefore there is more time for water to evaporate from the fruit. This could very likely be what is leading to different results in the quantity of jam I get each time. Apricots also contain less pectin than citrus fruits so it does create a bit of a runnier jam that still holds its shape.
I know a way to combat this is to add pectin to your jam, but I personally haven’t tried making jam with pectin yet so I can’t speak to that method in detail. Most importantly, don’t overcook the jam! I’ve done this before and it essentially turns into a hard candy if the sugar is caramelized and won’t be spreadable. You also don’t want to cook the jam for too long else all the fruit will break down and the best jam has some chunks of apricot mixed in.
I really hope you enjoy these Vegan Apricot Jam Crumble Bars! I know they’re a favorite in my house right now, and I’ve already been requested to bring them to several parties coming up. I usually bring extra treats to my office to share and was even told by my boyfriend that I need to keep these bars at home so he can eat them all, so I promise they are good! As always, I’d love to hear from you how they turn out. Connecting with you all is the best part of creating recipes for this blog and I love to hear what you loved or adapted to make this recipe perfect for you. Happy Summer Baking!
-TSG
In case you are looking for some of the tools & ingredients used in this recipe, I’ve put a few of my favorites for you here:
- Per usual, I baked these goodies with my favorite brand of flour, but this time using Bob’s Red Mill Organic All Purpose Flour. I promise, not sponsored, just seriously their biggest fan!
- If you ever come to my house, you will laugh over the ridiculously large tubs of coconut oil I buy. For some of my baked goods, like these bars, I don’t want that strong coconut taste so I opt for refined coconut oil and especially love Nutiva Organic.
| Servings |
servings
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- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut oil *liquid
- 1 flax egg * mix 1 Tbsp ground flax seed with 3 Tbsp water and let sit 5-10 minutes until thick paste formed
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste/extract
- 2 Tbsp non-dairy milk * I used almond milk
- 6 Tbsp apricot jam **recipe below
- 1/8 cup crushed almonds
Ingredients
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- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- In a mixing bowl sift together your flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add in your sugar, coconut oil, flax egg, nut milk, and vanilla bean paste and use a standing mixer/whisk to combine. Once combined, slowly add in your dry mix containing the flour, salt, and baking soda until thoroughly mixed.The batter will be thick like cookie dough, but should not be dry and crumbly. If the batter is too dry, add in 1/2 Tbsp of extra nut milk at a time until you get a firm but semi-sticky dough texture.
- Take out 3/4 of your dough and add it to a greased 8*8 ceramic baking dish. Use a spatula or spoon to pat the dough down so that it is spread evenly. Add to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- While the dough is baking, chop your almonds and add them to the remaining 1/4 of dough in the mixing bowl.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven at the 10 minute mark and evenly coat with the apricot jam. Next, take your remaining dough with the chopped almonds, break into chunks, and sprinke the junks of dough on top of the jam.
- Add the dish to the oven and bake an additional 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool before slicing into 9 even pieces. Enjoy!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 2-3 small apricots, pits removed *about 1 cup diced
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Ingredients
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- Add all of your ingredients to a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil.
- Once the jam is boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer so that the jam is still bubbling but more slowly. Stir consistently and cook the jam anywhere from 20-30 minutes. You can check if the jam is ready through several methods, but I like to dip a spoon into the jam at the 20 minute mark to check. If the jam easily runs off the spoon, continue to cook. If the jam slowly falls off the spoon in clumps, it is likely ready and can be removed from the heat. If you have a candy thermometer the setting point for Jam is 220F/105C which is the most accurate way to check your jam.
- Jam can be enjoyed immediately! Please follow proper canning practices if you'd like to store the jam for future use.
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Hey Short Girl!
I made these as soon as Imperfect Produce posted it in an email. I switched in Peaches since they were in season and it turned out delicious. In the peach preserves I added cinnamon and basil from my garden.
Also I used 1/2 oat flour and it made it much more substantial with a slightly nutty flavor.
Thanks for creating this amazing recipe!!
Hey Lisa- so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Peach Preserves with cinnamon and basil sounds so amazing. I will definitely have to try using oat flour too, what a great addition and thanks for sharing 🙂