Oatmeal Fig Bars – The Recipe Critic

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So much better than store bought and so fun to make, these oatmeal fig bars are sweet and salty and everything you hope they would be! The sticky fig jam is sandwiched between two delicious layers of oatmeal crumble and crust. You really can’t beat this sweet treat!

I love buying fig bars from the store, especially around the holidays, so I thought I should make them at home. Let me tell you, they were a total hit! They are definitely joining the holiday lineup of my favorite treats. If you want some other ideas for great holiday and winter treats, you’ve got to try these Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies, this delicious Fruit Cake, and these cute Snowball Cookies.

Fig Oatmeal Bars

I recently tried figgy pudding for the first time ( I know, where have I been this whole time?!) and it was amazing! I absolutely loved the flavor of the figs, and I realized that fig is the perfect base for a dessert. We actually included a delicious fig and grapefruit cheese on a charcuterie board that absolutely divine, and I realized I needed more figs in my life. So I thought a great new dessert to try would be these fig oatmeal bars!

If you have never had an oatmeal fig bar, it’s kind of like a granola bar meets a linzer cookie. It is seriously the best thing ever! If you have ever had a fig newton, then this dessert is really similar! It is the perfect dessert for anyone who loves oats and a dessert that doesn’t leave you feeling too heavy afterwards. I am seriously obsessed with these oatmeal fig bars!

Ingredients in Oatmeal Fig Bars

Don’t be fooled by the number of ingredients, most of them repeat a few times for this oatmeal fig bar recipe! The crust on the top and bottom are not very different in ingredients, they just need to be prepared differently. The top is more like a crumble where you need cold butter to help ingredients clump together. The bottom is more like a traditional oatmeal crust. You can find the measurements below in the recipe card.

Filling

• Dried Figs: Dried figs are a must for this oatmeal fig bars recipe. Fresh ones will not work the same! If you are wondering where to get dried figs, I totally get it because I didn’t remember seeing them at the grocery store until I looked for them! I found them in the dried fruit section of my grocery store. If you don’t have any luck there are lots of options online.
• Water: This is to help rehydrate the figs and to make the sauce.
• Orange Juice: I love to add orange juice because it has acid in it which really brightens up the filling.
• Vanilla Extract: I add just a bit of vanilla to bring out all the flavors in the figs.

Crust

• Butter: Butter helps everything hold together and adds fat, which makes the crust so amazing.
• Brown Sugar: I like to use brown sugar because it has a deeper flavor than granulated sugar because of the molasses.
• Egg: Egg will help the crust hold together for these oatmeal fig bars.
• Rolled Oats: I love the texture and flavor of oats in the crust. It also adds extra fiber and balances out this dessert.
• All-Purpose Flour: I like to use it because it’s what I have on hand. You could use whole wheat flour in this recipe.
• Baking Powder: Baking powder helps the crust from becoming too dense and hard.
• Ground Cinnamon: A little pop of cinnamon in the crust really brings the whole dessert together!
• Ground Nutmeg: I like to add nutmeg along with cinnamon because they are the perfect pair, and go great with figs!
• Salt: A little salt in the crust helps to bring out all of the amazing flavors and keeps it from getting too sweet.

Topping

• Rolled Oats: This is key to a nice and crumbly topping for your oatmeal fig bars. It sticks to the butter and becomes little nuggets of goodness all over this treat.
• Butter: You will want to keep this butter cold and cube it. When the butter is cold it crumbles instead of blends together, which is how you get the oats to clump the way you want them to.
• All-Purpose Flour: It’s easy to work with, and helps the oats come together in a great texture.
• Brown Sugar: I like to use brown sugar because of the molasses, and it adds lots of flavor to the crumble.
• Granulated Sugar: A little sweetness helps to bring this whole treat together.
• Salt: I like to add salt to the topping too so it doesn’t get too sweet.
• Ground Cinnamon: Cinnamon in the crust and the topping is the perfect way to bring the whole treat full circle. It’s so amazing!

Oatmeal Fig Bars Recipe

You will make this oatmeal fig bar in three steps. You will prepare the filling, the crust, and the crumble. Then you put it all together and bake! It’s a little bit of a labor of love but oh my goodness is it worth it! This is a great recipe to make for special occasions. It’s a huge hit and a really unique dessert that I think everyone will love.

Filling

1. Cook Filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the dried figs, water, and orange juice. Over medium heat, and stirring occasionally, cook the mixture for about 10-12 minutes. The figs should be soft and have absorbed some of the liquid.
2. Blend: Remove from heat and mix in the vanilla, then allow to cool for 15 minutes. Pour mixture into a blender or food processor and blend until the mixture is smooth and no chunks remain. Set aside
3. Prep Pan: At this point, prepare an 8 inch square baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray and set aside, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Crust

1. Whisk: In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, whisk together melted butter, sugar, and egg. In a separate bowl whisk together oats, flour, baking powder, and spices.
2. Add Dry Ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. The mixture will become hard to mix with a whisk, you may want to switch to a large spoon or spatula to finish mixing
3. Add Crust to Pan: Spread your crust evenly into your prepared pan, pack down slightly to even it out.

Topping

1. Pulse: In a food processor, add all your ingredients and pulse until all the ingredients are well mixed and no chunks of butter or patches of dry ingredients should remain.

Put It All Together

1. Add Ingredients and Bake: Spread your fig filling evenly over the top of your crust lined pan, sprinkle the topping over the top of the filling and bake in your pre heated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the top is an even golden brown.
2. Enjoy: Enjoy fresh or keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.