Today’s recipe consists of simple ingredients you can find in your pantry paired with fresh, seasonal figs. These ingredients are blended together to create a crumbly bar that is naturally sweet, gluten-free, and irresistible! Simplicity and beauty, my friend. Let’s behold…
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the the rolled oats, toasted walnuts, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Pulse the dry ingredients until the oats and nuts resemble a crumbly flour. Add the cubed butter and continue to pulse until the "flour" begins to to stick together--about 30-40 seconds. Pour the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add the remaining wet ingredients to the flour mixture: honey, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir the ingredients until combined.
For the Filling: Wipe out the food processor, if needed. Add the figs, dates, lemon juice, honey, and arrowroot starch/flour. Pulse until the ingredients form a paste.
Pour half the the crumble mixture into parchment-lined 9x9 baking dish (allow a small amount of excess parchment to rise up two sides of pan to lift the bars from the pan after baking). Press the crumbly mixture down into the pan with your hands. Pour the fig filling over the top. Drop the remaining crumble over the top of the filling.
Bake for 25-30 until the top of the crumble begins to brown (not burn!). Remove the crumble from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes--don't skip this step!
After 10 minutes, lift the sides of the parchment from the pan, pulling the crumble out of the pan. Cut the crumble into squares. Serve warm, or allow to cool and store in an air-tight container in the fridge. The bars should be soft and crumbly, but firm enough to form individual bars.
Notes
Find my favorite kitchen essentials, here. Inspired by Sarah Britton's Walnut Fig Bars from her cookbook, My New Roots.