For apricot filling:

 

6 oz B&R Farms Dried Apricots, diced

1/4 C granulated sugar

3/4 C water

1 t vanilla

 

For chocolate chip mixture:

 

11/3 C pecans (about 4 ounces)

1 C all-purpose flour

2/3 C firmly packed light brown sugar

½ t salt

2/3 C semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 C cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

 

Confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling bars

 

In a 1 ½-quart heavy saucepan combine apricots, granulated sugar, and water and simmer covered, 15 minutes. Remove lid and simmer mixture, stirring and mashing apricots, until excess liquid has evaporated and filling has thickened. Stir in vanilla.

 

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour an 8” square baking pan, knocking out excess flour.

In shallow baking pan toast pecans in middle of oven until golden brown, 8-10 minutes and cool. In a food processor, pulse pecans, flour, brown sugar and salt until pecans are coarsely chopped. Add chocolate chips and butter and pulse until pecan mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Press about half of chocolate chip mixture onto bottom of prepared baking pan and spread evenly with apricot filling. Crumble remaining chocolate chip mixture evenly over apricot filling, pressing down gently, and bake in middle of oven for 1 hour or until golden. Cool confection completely in pan on a rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and cut into 16 bars.