Cinnamon Fig Bars
Did you eat fig bars growing up? I was on the fence about them, so when I started working on this recipe, I wanted to change it up a little, hence the oatmeal base for the crust. If you look at the ingredients on the traditional bars, you'll see the following:
Figs, Whole Grain Wheat Flour, Invert Sugar, Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}, Folic Acid), Corn Syrup, Sugar, Canola Oil, Palm Oil, Salt, Baking Soda, Calcium Lactate, Malic Acid, Soy Lecithin, Sodium Benzoate (Added To Preserve Freshness), Natural And Artificial Flavor, Sulfur Dioxide [(Sulfites) Added To Preserve Freshness].Contains: Wheat, Soy.
The good news is figs are the first ingredient listed, but it goes downhill from there. Oils, syrups, soy, and fake flavors.
In this new recipe, you'll be able to envision all the ingredients:
Dried figs, water, rolled oats, almond flour, tapioca flour, chia seeds, coconut sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, melted butter/coconut oil, vanilla extract.
That's it! And the flavor is incredible - the kitchen will smell AMAZING. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Instructions
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Step 1
For the filling:
Pour 1 cup of water to a small pot and add the figs/dates. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to medium heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
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Step 2
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
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Step 3
For the crust/topping:
Add the dry ingredients to a medium mixing bowl and stir to combine.
Add the wet ingredients to a small mixing bowl and stir to combine.
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Step 4
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until a stick dough forms. Separate 3/4 of the dough and place it in the baking dish. Freeze the rest of the dough.
Press the base crust dough down and spread it out in the dish, covering the bottom uniformly. Bake the base crust for 8 minutes, then remove from the oven.
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Step 5
In a high speed blender, blend the figs/dates and residual water until a smooth paste forms. Spread the paste on top of the base crust, leaving 1/4" rim around the edge of the crust so the jam doesn't drip out.
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Step 6
Remove the rest of the dough from the freezer and using your hands, pull apart small clumps and place them on top of the jam across the surface of the bars. Return the dish to the oven and back 25-28 minutes until the edges become golden brown.
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Step 7
Remove the dish and allow the bars to cool 1 hour before placing them in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before attempting to cut them. Overnight is best for a clean cut.
The bars will last up to a week in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.
*Freezer tip: Wrap individual servings in parchment paper and foil, then store in a plastic bag. This way you can place one in the fridge to thaw overnight and easily take it to-go!
