Evergreen Fruit Bars

Makes 9 large bars, 16 medium or 25 small

Crust and crumbs: 1 1⁄2 cups flour

3⁄8 sugar cup packed light brown

1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh rosemary

1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut up

Fruit filling: 1 can (15 ounces) unpeeled apricot halves in light syrup

3⁄4 cup fresh cranberries

1 tablespoon sweet ginger bits/nibs, or finely chopped candied ginger 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon butter

1/8 teaspoon salt Icing: 1⁄2 cup powdered sugar, or more as needed

1⁄8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1⁄2 to 1 tablespoon half-and-half cream

Dried cranberries for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Coat foil with vegetable oil spray.

Make crust and crumbs: In bowl of a food processor, combine flour, brown sugar, rosemary, baking powder and salt. Pulse several times. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Remove and reserve 3⁄4 cup for topping. Press remaining mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven 12 to 14 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Set aside. Wash food processor bowl. Leave oven on.

Make fruit filling: Drain apricots, reserving 1 ⁄4 cup liquid.

In food processor bowl, combine apricots, reserved liquid, cranberries, ginger bits, sugar, honey and cornstarch. Process until mostly smooth, with some cranberry bits remaining.

Transfer mixture to a saucepan. Add butter and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Cook and stir 2 minutes more.

Spoon fruit mixture evenly over crust in pan. Top fruit with reserved crumbs.

Bake about 30 minutes or until filling bubbles around the edges and topping is light brown. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Use foil to lift uncut bars out of pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into bars.

Make icing: In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, vanilla and 1⁄2 tablespoon half-and-half. Stir in additional powdered sugar, as needed, until thick.

Spoon a dollop of frosting in center of each bar and top with a dried cranberry, if desired. Or, for thinner icing, stir in additional half-and-half, a few drops at a time, until drizzly. Spoon icing over uncut bars. Let stand until icing is set.