Apricot Angel Dessert Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 inch square baking pan. (For this recipe I made a double batch and baked it in a 9 x 13 pan, lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.)
• 2. In a small bowl, combine apricots, almonds and coconut. Set aside until needed.
• 3. In a saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until blended. Set aside.
• 4. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in melted chocolate mixture. Stir half of the Apricot/coconut/almond mixture into the batter.
• 5. Pour into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Sprinkle remaining apricot mixture on top.
• 6. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. If you like, drizzle with a little melted white chocolate to "dress them up". You can also sprinkle the warm drizzles with either extra coconut or sliced almonds. Yield: about 20-24 small bars. My 9x13 pan made 32 bars approx 1 1/2 x 2 1/4 inches

Steps:

• First, make the marzipan. Mix both sugars with the ground almonds and vanilla in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle. Reserve 1 tsp of the beaten egg in a small dish, then tip the rest into the well along with the lemon juice. Mix everything well, then mix in the cream, 1 tbsp at a time, until the mixture is spreadable (you may not need all the cream). Chill for 20 mins if it's too warm to spread properly, or greasy. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Roll out the puff pastry on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, then score it lightly around the edges to create a 1.5cm border - be careful not to cut all the way through. Lightly score a diamond pattern over the middle to keep the pastry from rising in the centre during cooking.
• Spread the marzipan over the middle of the pastry, leaving the border clear (see tip, below). Top with the apricots, cut-side down. Brush the border with the reserved beaten egg, then bake for 15 mins. Scatter over the flaked almonds. Bake for 5-10 mins more until the almonds are golden and the pastry has cooked through.
• Warm the jam over a low heat, then brush it over the apricots. Cut into squares and serve warm with ice cream or cream. Will keep chilled for up to two days.