I love the world of bars, and these are a makeover of American fig bars. They are different from the usual bars we know because they have a more rustic, homemade look. As many taste modifications as you want can be made so that they can be customized to your preferences. They are perfect in the morning with the usual coffee, or as a snack, even the children’s snack.

Take a look in the description at the various useful notes to make them with ease too!

DESCRIPTION

For this recipe I was inspired by figs bars that I find here in the US. They were one of my first snacks when I came here, and I then decided to reproduce them at home, but improving in taste and quality of ingredients. They are super soft, baked and come in this beautiful wine color typical of the fig jam that fills them.

Here are their health benefits, as they are:

• gluten-free;
• Without refined sugar;
• Rich in omega-6 and monounsaturated fats;
• have only 6 ingredients, and all of high quality;
• satiating, but light;
• Stuffed with 100% fruit;
• protein;
• a waste-saver because they are made from the almond pulp left over from milk production;
• reproducible in numerous filling alternatives;
• Individually packable for storage;
• convenient as snacks at the office or school;
• quick and easy to prepare.

The basic ingredients are:

• gluten-free oatmeal;
• the almond pulp.

The oatmeal I purchase has the specific claim of being gluten-free. They are usually found in markets specializing in the sale of organic foods. If you cannot find them, you can replace them with millet or rice flakes, which are naturally gluten-free. They work equally well in the recipe.

I used the half-flour oatmeal in a food processor so that I have two different textures: one finer and the other coarser, where the former allows me to better compact the dry ingredients and liquids together, and the latter allows for a varied and interesting texture.
Once or twice a week I make almond milk at home. Almond pulp is the “waste” left over from milk production. I use to blend the almonds with water and strain through a vegetable beverage bag. The solid part left over from this process is the almond pulp, which, having an almost neutral taste, is well suited as an ingredient in many different recipes, both savory and sweet. In fact, burgers, meatballs, savory and sweet pastries can be prepared. In short, it is by no means to be thrown away, but rather to be reused in other preparations. Almonds, then, which are rich in valuable substances for the body, are a panacea if frequently present on our table.
If you do not like almonds or have intolerance, you can replace them with cashews, macadamia nuts or Brazil nuts.

I did not use any refined sugar in this recipe. In fact, I chose to use agave syrup for sweetening, and the fig jam contains neither sugar nor pectin.
Agave syrup not only brings a natural and balanced sweetness to the bars, but in this recipe it also acts as a “glue,” meaning that its natural sticky consistency is most useful in holding each crumb together.

Fig jam generally resembles more of a fruit butter. In fact, it does not come in a gelatinous form, plus it is often found without sugar in the market because figs are already sweet enough on their own. We can take advantage of these properties to have an excuse to eat a bar really stuffed with 100 percent fruit. Perfect excuse especially in case they are served as snacks for children.
In case you do not like fig jam or cannot find it, it is possible to substitute it with another type of jam, without affecting the success of the recipe.
Among the ingredients I also included vegetable protein powder. The ones I use are without flavoring, so as not to alter the taste of the preparations. Normally, I also try to think about the needs of people who play sports and look for a satisfactory protein intake in every snack. If you do not want to use them, you are absolutely free to choose to omit them. Just be careful to pour in the vegetable drink a little at a time so that the mixture is not too liquid.
In fact, the mixture should be easily worked by hand. Half of this will form the bottom layer of the bars, which will be placed on the bottom of a baking pan (I used a square one measuring 25 cm x 25 cm) lined with baking paper, then the jam will be spread as a filling, and finally, the other half of the dough will be the top layer of bars, which will be pressed gently and evenly.
The pan will go straight into the oven, and once completely cool, you can knife the bars into shape.

About 10 bars come out with these doses. That’s a lot for me, so I packed them individually with food wrap and stored them in the refrigerator. They keep soft for up to a week.
Packaged like this, they are very convenient to take to the office or school.

Of course, they were also my breakfast with cup of herbal tea attached and were able to satiate and satisfy me until lunchtime.
Let’s see in detail what is needed and how to proceed with the preparation :)

PROCEDURE

1. First, we weigh the oatmeal. Let’s transfer one half to the food processor and lightly pulverize it. Uneven texture is fine.
2. We line a baking sheet with baking paper. It must be small in size, like the one I used 25 cm x 25 cm.
   And we preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
3. In a bowl we pour the oatmeal flakes, freshly made oatmeal, almond pulp (see notes), agave syrup, vegetable protein powder, and vegetable drink.
   We knead with our hands. It must be a soft compost that is easily malleable by hand.
4. Half of this mixture should be pressed into the bottom of the pan evenly. You can use the back of a spoon to level the surface and make it straight.
5. Now take the required amount of fig jam and spread it on the newly formed layer. This is our filling.
6. After that, repeat the same process with the other half of the dough. You must gently press it down on the filling. You can facilitate this step by taking some of the dough, pressing it between your hands and laying it on top of the fig jam.
7. Bake for 25 minutes, until the surface of the bars browns slightly.
8. When the baking time has elapsed, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool completely.
9. Once cooled, you can take out the contents and cut into bars. They can also be individually packaged.

NOTE

For storage: you can move the bars into a closed container with a lid and store them in the refrigerator, or you can pack them individually with food wrap.
They keep soft for up to 7 days.

Author: Stella Colonna
Source : Vegabulous