1cup plus 2 tablespoonsunsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½cupsbrown sugar
For the second step
1tablespoonflax meal, (a vegan egg substitute; see notes)
1 ¾cupapricot jam (18 ounces)
Instructions
Make your flax egg. Mix flax meal with 2 tablespoons warm water in a small bowl and let it rest for 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You will need a 10x15-inch baking tray. Roast almonds in the baking tray until golden brown (about 12 minutes).
Remove almonds from tray, allow tray to cool, then lightly grease the baking tray and set it aside until needed.
Place all ingredients, except the flax egg and apricot jam into a food processor. (To do this by hand, chop almonds finely, blend oats into course flour, and combine with remaining ingredients.)
Remove half the mixture and set aside. Add the flax egg to the remaining mixture and mix to combine.
Transfer the mixture with egg into the prepared baking tray and press down evenly to create a bottom crust. Bake for 15 minutes until the crust is firm to the touch and lightly browned around the edges.
Allow crust to cool slightly, then gently spread the apricot jam evenly over the entire surface. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the top and return to the oven.
Bake for 25 minutes, until the top crust is golden brown and inviting. Cool and cut into bars.
Notes
To make a flax egg, mix flax meal with 2 tablespoons warm water in a small bowl and let it rest for 20 minutes while you gather the rest of the ingredients. When you soak ground flax seeds, they become mucilaginous just like egg whites, so it is effectively an egg substitute. If you don’t need your apricot bars egg-free, you can always use an egg.