Fig Bars

"A cookie is just a cookie, but Newton's are fruit and cake."

Does anyone else remember those commercials?  I thoroughly enjoy just about any kind of cookie but when it comes to Fig Newton's... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...  YUM!  First of all, I absolutely adore dried figs.  I love that sweet taste and even the crunchy texture from the seeds.  Surround that in soft, cake-like breading and I'm totally in my happy place.  It would not be completely outside the realm of possibility for me to consume at least half a package in one sitting.  Not proud of that fact, but hey.

So imagine my reaction when one of my favorite bloggers posted a recipe that just screamed glorified, HEALTHY Fig Newton to me?  WAHOO BABY!!!  This I've got to try.

Fig-Apricot Bars
Recipe from Dig This Chick

For the crust:
3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/8 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup ground flax seed
dash ground nutmeg and ground cloves [I was extra generous with my "dashes"]
1 stick butter, cold
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs

For the filling:
2 cups dried figs
1/2 cup dried apricots
2 cups juice (I used apple juice by any 100% juice would work great)
1 cup water
  
1.  Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter until tiny pebbles. 

Of course I used my food processor for this step!

2.  Mix eggs, milk and honey with a fork in a separate bowl. Add wet to dry and mix into a dough. Get your hands in there and make into a ball. Cover and refrigerate for an hour. 

Sticky dough.  You've been warned.

3.  While dough is chilling, cook figs, apricots, juice and water over low heat until soft and thick, and most of the juice is absorbed. Purée in a food processor. 

Hello cooked down fruity goodness

4.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. After an hour, pull dough out, divide in two and knead about 10 times to make pliable. Sprinkle flour on work surface and roll out half. 

First two layers down.  Just need the top crust

5.  Place on prepared baking sheet. Spread figgy mixture. Knead and roll out other half and place on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool and cut up! 

I learned a few things from this experience of making fig bars.  

• I need to practice my rolling pin skills.  They're pretty rusty because I think the dough could be a tad thinner.  I rolled it to about the thickness I would a pie crust.  Rob thinks this thickness was perfect though.
• Though Fig Newtons first came to mind when I made them, the crust has this nutty flavor that's a bit closer to a Nutrigrain Bar.  So a Fig Newton/Nutrigrain bar?  I like that nutty flavor though, plus now I don't feel bad feeding these to Gavin for breakfast. 
• Next time I'm trying a juice with a sharper flavor (pomegranate? orange?), just to see what happens to the filling flavor.
• It doesn't look or feel like this made that much, however once you cut these into bars it makes quite a bit!  My bars are probably 2"x3"...something like that.
• If you ask your husband to take baked goods out of the oven for you, expect that there will be a corner of it missing.

It's really become important to have some kind of grab-and-go snack around.  Rob and I are usually in a hurry most mornings to get out the door, plus it's nice to have handy snack available.  I really like the granola bar recipes I've been making, however it's nice to add a new snack bar to the mix too. And of course it REALLY makes me feel good knowing I'm giving my little family something that's not just tasty, but super healthy for them too!