Oatmeal Fig Bars

🧂 Ingredients

All you need are a few simple ingredients to make these delicious bars. This fig bars recipe uses dried figs, which you rehydrate. However, you could use fig preserves if you have it on hand.

• butter
• granulated sugar
• vanilla extract
• all-purpose flour
• dried figs
• brown sugar
• quick-cooking oats or old-fashioned oats

🔪Instructions

This is meant to be a brief overview of the fig bars recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below or Jump to Recipe.

This recipe makes about 12-16 bars, depending on how you cut them.

1. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F.
2. Butter a square 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and vanilla, then add flour to create the crust.
4. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan firmly.
5. Bake for 15 minutes, then let rest for 5-10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, chop the figs into small pieces.
7. Add water, sugar, and the chopped figs to a saucepan over medium heat for 10-12 minutes until the figs have absorbed most of the water.
8. When the crust has set, spread the fig mixture evenly over the crust.
9. For the streusel, use a pastry blender or fork to cut cold butter into the flour and brown sugar. Add a dash of cinnamon, if desired.
10. Sprinkle the streusel mixture over the fig layer and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
11. Allow the bars to cool completely (about one hour) before cutting.

Equipment

_{The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.}

• 9x9 baking pan
• Mixing Bowls
• rubber spatula for transferring the fig mixture
• Pastry Cutter or the back of a fork, for making the crumble
• Dry Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Liquid Measuring Cup

⏲️ Storage

Store the fig bars in an airtight container and they will last about 1 week. I love using these airtight bakery boxes and layering the bars between sheets of parchment paper.

📖 Variations

• Add ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts to the streusel topping for a little crunch.
• If you prefer a more natural sugar, use maple syrup instead of granulated sugar. Replace the sugar with ¼ cup of maple syrup.
• Instead of cinnamon, add a pinch of cardamom which also pairs well with the flavor of figs.
• Use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour, which is rich in B vitamins and is higher in calcium, protein, and iron. You can also use 1:1 gluten-free flour to make these fig oatmeal bars.
• Shortcut Method: Instead of making homemade fig filling from fresh figs, use fig jam.