We LOVE those little apricot squares you can buy in the packets at the supermarket. I’m very quickly running out of things to sell to afford them. I’m sure I could have bought a mansion with the amount of money I have spent on them in years. Ok you get the idea. They are expensive and they don’t always have the best ingredients in them.

I often make the Apricot Balls and the Mini Fruit Balls but they just aren’t the same as those squares. Something was always missing.

I have experimented a bit with them and failing miserably at getting the same flavour but after my Mini Fruit Balls I decided to try a similar version. I think these come pretty close to the store bought version in texture and flavour. The packet ones I like do have a coating of sugar on the outside which I wanted to avoid as there is plenty of sugar as is in them with all the dried fruit. My partner says these are “spot on!”. He loves them.

Cost comparison:

  • Store bought version: 450g for $7.92
  • TRTLMT version*:  Approx 450g for $2.16 (Apricots $1.30, Dates $0.24 , Coconut $0.62)

* Each brand will differ in cost slightly. Buying bulk will reduce the cost.

Ingredients comparison:

  • Store bought version: Apricots, Sugar, Glucose Syrup (Derived from Corn), Vegetable Oil, Acidity Regulator, Emulsifier, Corn Starch, Natural Colour, Natural Flavour, Preservative 220. Taken from Coles Online.  There is just over 281g of sugar in 450g of these.
  • TRTLMT version*: Apricots, Dates and Coconut. There is just over 87g of sugar in 450g of these.

*Do check the packaging of your dried  fruit and coconut as some brands do have preservatives added to them.

 

Tip: When serving children dried fruit or anything high in dried fruit, its always good to serve some cheese and veggie sticks along side it to help clean the teeth afterwards. You will often see on childcare centre menus (one of my most favourite things to create) that dried fruit will be accompanied with these.

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Apricot Bites


  • Author: The road to loving my Thermo Mixer
  • Total Time: 65
  • Yield: 40 1x

Description

A cheaper healthier version of a store bought favourite.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 300g dried apricots
  • 50g pitted dates
  • 100g dessicated coconut
  • 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut for coating, optional

Instructions

  1. Place everything into bowl.
  2. Blitz on speed 7 for 20 seconds. Then increase speed to 10 for 30 seconds.
  3. Line a small loaf tin with baking paper.
  4. Spoon mixture in and smooth out using the back of a glass or your tmx measuring cup that has been covered with a little baking paper to avoid sticking.
  5. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
  6. Remove from tin.
  7. Slice into 12 bar shapes and then into pieces. I got 40 small squares from mine.
  8. Place squares and coconut into a bowl. Toss until coated.
  9. Refrigerate in an airtight container.

Notes

  • If the mixture is too dry, process a little longer or add an extra date of two.
  • You can use medjool dates however they are quite sweet so taste the mixture as you go.
  • Prep Time: 65
 

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Apricot Bites


  • Author: The road to loving my Thermo Mixer
  • Yield: 40 1x

Description

A cheaper healthier version of a store bought favourite.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 300g dried apricots
  • 50g pitted dates
  • 100g dessicated coconut
  • 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut for coating, optional

Instructions

  1. Place everything into food processor.
  2. Blitz on high speed until combined.
  3. Line a small loaf tin with baking paper.
  4. Spoon mixture in and smooth out using the back of a glass that been covered with a little baking paper to avoid sticking.
  5. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
  6. Remove from tin.
  7. Slice into 12 bar shapes and then into pieces. I got 40 small squares from mine.
  8. Place squares and coconut into a bowl. Toss until coated.
  9. Refrigerate in an airtight container.

Notes

  • If the mixture is too dry, process a little longer or add an extra date of two.
  • You can use medjool dates however they are quite sweet so taste the mixture as you go.

19 Comments

  1. Donna June 18, 2014 at 5:31 pm - Reply

    What could you replace the dates with?

    • Peta June 19, 2014 at 2:24 pm - Reply

      Sultanas or just extra Apricots will work 🙂

  2. Narelle June 20, 2014 at 10:21 am - Reply

    What would be a good substitute for the dessicated coconut? Or, can I just leave it out?

    • Peta June 20, 2014 at 12:07 pm - Reply

      Good question. It needs to be there to bind it otherwise its too soft. You can leave it out, they will just be softer 🙂

  3. Renege June 26, 2014 at 4:49 pm - Reply

    Do you use dried or fresh dates?

  4. Emily June 29, 2014 at 4:28 pm - Reply

    Just made these and my daughter and I rolled them into balls, they taste fabulous! Thanks 🙂

  5. Lana June 29, 2014 at 7:45 pm - Reply

    Tastes yummy!! Do you think you could freeze these or otherwise, how long would they last in an airtight container in the fridge? Thanks!

    • TRTLMT June 29, 2014 at 7:53 pm - Reply

      You sure can 🙂

      Or two weeks in a container in the fridge.

  6. Nadia October 17, 2014 at 7:57 am - Reply

    Taste just like the store bought ones! Thanks so much for the healthier alternative.

  7. Christine October 20, 2014 at 10:06 pm - Reply

    Which dried apricots did you use? Are they the squishy orange ones with sulphites or the ones without?

    • Peta October 21, 2014 at 7:32 am - Reply

      I use ones with preservatives hence the strong orange colour. You can use ones without and have a brown/black bite. You may need to add extra dates or honey to add moisture to t he mix.

  8. Renae October 26, 2014 at 12:13 pm - Reply

    I finally got round to making these! They are great and I’ll be making again! Thanks for the great work you do!

  9. Susanne November 3, 2014 at 8:57 pm - Reply

    Wow PETA, thank you so much for this recipe, I have spent so much money on these in the past, made these tonight and they are spot on! Yum

  10. Vicky November 17, 2014 at 4:44 pm - Reply

    brilliant copy of the real thing, only better!

  11. Wendy February 16, 2015 at 3:24 am - Reply

    This is a hit with my kids. So simple to make and so much better than store bought!

  12. Alicia March 22, 2015 at 6:08 pm - Reply

    I allowed my 7 year old to make this all on her own. They turned out great. Both children look forward to having these in their lunchboxes. Thanks for sharing!

  13. Ross May 27, 2016 at 7:05 pm - Reply

    Great simple recipe- I swapped the coconut for macadamias worked great. Same amount.

  14. Danielle January 31, 2017 at 6:54 pm - Reply

    I used Turkish apricots and am hoping after being in the fridge they will set because it seemed slightly dry?

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