So, these dried figs & date bars are so messy! Originally, I was going to make fig newtons. I decided last minute that I didn’t feel like being all precise and neat. They’re still delicious! Normally, I don’t take pictures in natural light because I thought it wasn’t possible in my apartment. Today, I found out that I can take pictures with natural light using my diffuser. Which lead to me rushing to make these bars since the sun goes down very fast now.
For these dried figs & date bars, I made my own fig and date jam. I let the Smyrna figs that I had in my pantry soak in some water with some medjool dates, water, monkfruit sugar, and the juice of one clementine. I have some left over fig jam in the fridge, so I’m going to make something else with the jam. I’m thinking pancakes or sugar cookies. These taste so good! Honestly, I think they taste way better than the fig bars that you get at the grocery store.
How to make dried figs & date bars:
First off, it’s completely unnecessary to use fresh figs! A lot of you may ask if you can use them, yeah you can, but you can get the job done with dried figs. Fresh figs during this time of year are pretty impossible to find. My Trader Joe’s aren’t even selling them anymore. So, go to your local grocery store and pick up some dried figs.
I am a huge fan of medjool dates! They taste so good. I can’t even describe the taste. For this recipe, I recommend that you remove the pits your dates or buy them without the pits. The pits will not blend in the jam, so don’t even try.
Also, I want to mention that you have to use the juice of a clementine. The clementine make these dried fig & date bars taste so sweet.
Lastly, if you want your bars to be neater than mine then follow the instructions on this site, I somewhat used her recipe as a guide to making these dried figs & date bars. I wanted mine to be different than hers so I used graham flour! The graham cracker flour gave these a nice graham cracker taste.
Dried Figs & Date Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dried Smyrna Figs
- 6 Medjool Dates, pitted
- 1 Clementine, juiced
- 1 tsp Monk Fruit Sugar
- 1 cup Water
For The Dough:
- 1/4 cup Oat Flour
- 2 cups Graham Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Egg Replacer from Bob’s Red Mill
- 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup Coconut Oil
- 1 cup Water
- 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 tbsp Ground Flax
- Avocado Oil Cooking Spray, for spraying
Instructions
For the Fig Jam:
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Begin by adding dried Smyrna figs and medjool dates with the juice of one clementine and 1 tsp monk fruit sugar to a pot. Do not turn on the stove. Allow this mixture to soak for one hour.
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After 30 minutes, turn on the stove to medium/high heat and cook the figs and dates. This should take around 20 minutes for the figs and dates to be easy to mash with a fork. Mash this mixture in the pot with a fork.
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After mashing the dates and the figs, add them to a blender with 1 cup of water. This mixture should be turned into a jam now. Place into a mason jar or bowl and set aside.
For The Crust:
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Prepare your egg replacer during this time.
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In one large bowl, add the flours, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and ground flax. Mix and set aside.
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In a smaller bowl, add apple cider vinegar, water, vanilla extract, coconut oil, and the egg replacer. Mix well.
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Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture using your hands. Once a dough has formed, roll out using a rolling pin. Add four tbsps of the fig jam in the middle. Wrap one side of the dough over the other. Cut using a bench scraper.
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Place on the baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, remove the bars from the oven and spray with avocado oil cooking spray.
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Enjoy!
Notes
- Recipe adapted from Desserts With Benefits
- Place leftover fig jam in the fridge.
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