Carrot Apricot Squares

More Squares.

These were the FRE's favorite until I improved my use of Halloween decorations for baked goods. (See Butternut Squash Squares.) But I would wager he still ranks these high, especially the ones I made with fresh cranberries over the holidays (just add 1/2 cup fresh cranberries to the batter). If you like the color orange, these are for you. The carrots, apricots, and orange juice conspire to create a confection that would do FD&C Yellow No. 6 proud, except the color of these squares come from all-natural carotenoids. Try one. They're low-fat, fiberful, contain no white flour, no granulated sugar, and serve up fair amounts of the antioxidants beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-cryptoxanthin. Your eyes, hair, skin, and taste buds will thank you.


Ingredients

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp. wheat germ (raw or toasted)
1 tbsp. wheat bran
2 tbsp. soy flour
2 tbsp. freshly ground flax seeds
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown rice syrup (or honey)
1 large egg

1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup diced dried apricots

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1 Preheat oven to 350°F.

2 Rub 1 tsp. vegetable oil on the insides of an 8 by 8 inch cake pan.

Note: I've also used an 8 by 4 inch loaf pan with good results.

3 Combine the orange juice, lemon juice, oil, honey, and rice syrup. Whisk or beat vigorously until fully blended. Stir in the carrots and apricots.

4 Stir together the first 9 ingredients (dry ingredients).

5 Whisk the egg in a small bowl. Add about 2 tbsp. of the liquid ingredients to the whisked egg and beat. Slowly pour the beaten egg back into the liquid batter, whisking the batter as you pour.

6 Add dry ingredients to wet. Fold in slowly until just combined and no dry lumps remain. Pour into prepared 8 by 8 inch pan. Bake at 350°F. for approximately 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

7 Cool thoroughly (1 to 2 hours) in the pan before cutting into squares. They may be eaten then or stored in the freezer.

Enjoy!