It's amazing to me that a dessert this good can be free of refined flour or refined sugar. These fig bars have all of the chewiness and sweetness of traditional Fig Newton cookies, but they're made with wholesome almonds, oats, and real dried figs. From Choosing Raw: Making Raw Foods Part of the Way You Eat by Gena Hamshaw. Reprinted with permission from Da Capo Lifelong, © 2014. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky.

Recipe

Unbaked Fig Bars

5 from 1 vote

These fig bars have all of the chewiness and sweetness of traditional Fig Newton cookies, but they’re made with wholesome almonds, oats, and real dried figs.

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Prep Time: 20

Total Time: 20

Servings: 9

Ingredients

Filling Ingredients

3 cups water
2 cups dried figs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Base Ingredients

1 1⁄2 cups almonds
1 1⁄2 cups rolled oats
1 1⁄8 teaspoon sea salt
6 pitted Medjool dates
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

Topping Ingredients

3 ⁄4 cup sliced almonds

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Bring the water to a boil, and pour it over the figs. Let the figs soak for at least 1 hour (or for as long as 6).
Grind the almonds in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade until they’re relatively smooth. Add the oats and continue grinding until both are quite finely ground. Pulse in the sea salt.
Add the Medjool dates to the food processor, along with the maple syrup and coconut oil. Process until the mixture is evenly incorporated. Press into an 8–inch square baking dish.
Drain the figs, reserving the water they soaked in, and transfer them to a clean food processor. Process them with the vanilla. Add the soak water as needed, until you have the consistency of a fig jam.
Spread the fig mixture over the oat/almond mixture. The fig layer should be 1⁄4 inch thick, or a little thicker. Reserve extra fig mixture to use in place of jam on your favorite toast.
Top the fig layer with almonds. Refrigerate the bars for a few hours, until they set. Cut into nine squares, and enjoy.
Store the fig bars in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep for up to 2 weeks this way.

Nutrition (Estimate per Serving)

Calories: 157kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 2gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 8mgPotassium: 351mgFiber: 4gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 27IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 1mg

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