Ingredients
- 2 pounds dried apricots
- 3 cups water
- 4 ½ cups granulated sugar
- Vegetable oil for coating pan
Preparation
- Place apricots and water in a 2 1/2-quart souffle dish with a tight lid. Cook, covered, at 100 percent power in a high-power microwave oven for 12 minutes, stirring once.
- Remove from oven. Transfer apricots and liquid to a food processor. Process until smooth, stopping once to scrape sides of bowl. Add 3 cups of the sugar in two batches; process until smooth after each addition, stopping to scrape sides and stir sugar down into the puree.
- Scrape mixture back into souffle dish. Cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring well three times.
- Remove from oven. Oil a 10 1/2-by-15 1/2-inch jellyroll pan. Scrape mixture into pan and smooth with a spatula. Refrigerate until firm enough to cut, 3 hours or overnight.
- Place remaining sugar in a small bowl. Rinse a knife with hot water. Cut candy into 3/4-inch squares, rinsing the knife from time to time as you lift squares from pan. Coat each square on all sides in the sugar. As they are coated, place on a cake rack. Let stand overnight, until dry.
Dining and Cooking