Stone fruits contain a wealth of antioxidant anthocyanins, vitamins, and minerals. They are also a delicious source of fiber and may help promote brain health, fend off diabetes, lower the risk of hypertension, and even prevent cancer.
Sweet apricot and pineapple jam brings this recipe for Bozo Bars to another level. It was sent to CCSA as part of a series of emails from our resident chef, Dr. Linda Doody. She has been sharing her extensive collection of favorite recipes with friends, family, and the CCSA team as a means of maintaining connections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Life is better than death, I believe, if only because it is less boring, and because it has fresh peaches in it.”
–Alice Walker
Bozo Bars
Coffee House Cookbook, Associated Students, University of California, Davis (1986) and Jams and Jellies, Jacqueline Wejman (1975)
Ingredients
- Bars
- 2 cups flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 1½ cups jam (for homemade apricot or apricot pineapple jam, see below. Strawberry would also be good)
- Pineapple and Apricot Jam
- 2½ pounds fresh apricots
- 3 cups crushed pineapple (can be fresh or canned; the latter is just fine)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 5 cups sugar (equivalent to 2½ pounds)
Instructions
- Bars
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Pat ⅔ of mixture (about 4 cups) into a 9”×13” pan. Spread jam over the base and sprinkle with the remaining butter mixture. (Note: Before sprinkling the remainder, add a little more softened butter to the remaining mixture and work it with your hands to make a true streusel topping. Add walnuts or sliced almonds if desired.) Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. (Note: Bake 5–10 minutes more if the streusel is not yet golden brown) While cooling, run a knife around the edge to loosen bars from pan. Allow to cool completely, cut into 12–16 bars, and remove from pan.
- Pineapple and Apricot Jam
- Wash and pit apricots. Cut into large pieces. Mix apricots, crushed pineapple with its juice, lemon juice, and sugar together in a preserving kettle and cook over medium heat until sugar has dissolved, stirring frequently. (Note: For a preserving kettle, you can use any heavy pan made of copper, stainless steel, or other non-reactive surface; however, it should be wider than it is tall to allow even cooking and faster evaporation.) Then cook over high heat for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Skim off foam with a metal spoon, if needed. Ladle into hot sterilized jars and seal immediately. Process in a water bath canner. Makes ~11 half pints.
Notes
The Coffee House at University of California, Davis opened in 1968. The cookbook was an effort by the bakers and cooks to convert the institution-sized recipes into household-sized proportions.