Baked Sunday Mornings: Rosemary Apricot Squares

My breakfasts over the past week have not been impressive. Cliff Bars picked up from the grocery store in the morning, a bagel and cream cheese. My Sunday project was to make something that could sustain me through breakfasts for the next week. Although these rosemary apricot squares appeared in the Cookies and Bars section of Baked Explorations, and not the Breakfast section, Matt and Renalto did happen to mention that these squares are "great for breakfast." That was all the motivation that I needed.

These also happened to be the upcoming recipe for a baking group called Baked Sunday Mornings. They're baking their way through Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented, one of the new cookbooks I got for my birthday. I'm a little late to the game (they started November 21st with Nutella Scones), but they don't mind. They're one of the more relaxed baking groups. They want you to enjoy the experience, not feel stressed about it. The goal is to post as often as you can, and they have opportunities to post every two weeks.

While the rosemary apricot square alone might not hold you over until lunch, it will be a delightful break from your normal breakfast routine. The rosemary shortbread is light, and the rosemary infuses perfectly throughout the dough. It's the real star in this dish. The apricot filling is almost like a homemade apricot jam. It's flavorful from the infusion of honey and brandy, but it's not too sweet. The crumbly pecan topping provides the perfect contrast against the sweeter inner layer.

My square pan is no more (remember?), so I altered the recipe slightly by baking it in a round pan. I didn't put parchment paper up the sides of the pan; I just buttered the pan well and the bars came out easily in pie slice shaped pieces. My round pan had a smaller area than the square pan would have, and next time I would decrease the shortbread amount slightly so that the layers were more proportional.

Visit Baked Sunday Mornings for the recipe and to view all the Rosemary Apricot Scone recipes!