Fig Bars

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Homemade fig bars are filled with fresh figs cooked with brown sugar to jammy perfection! The oat crust doubles as a crumble topping for a quick and easy snack or dessert.

One thing I miss from our time in Texas is the availability of fresh figs.

Floral and honey-sweet, figs are a treat when fresh, especially when used in recipes from appetizers to desserts.

My fig bar recipe has a jam-like filling that isn’t too sweet, letting the flavor of the figs shine through.

Oats make the bars just as suitable for breakfast as for snack time. Having a something I can grab and eat while waiting at the school bus stop has saved me so many mornings. 

These aren’t quite like Fig Newton cookies, but if you enjoy those, you’re definitely going to like these homemade fig bars!

Ingredients for fig bars

You’ll need:

Figs – Any fresh fig you have available will work for this recipe. I’ve made this recipe using Sierra figs, Black Mission figs, and Brown Turkey figs. Each fig will have a slightly different flavor profile.

You will need about 9 ounces of fresh figs to yield 2 cups diced.

Brown sugar – Use light brown sugar for this recipe.

Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract, please!

Oats – Use rolled oats, also labeled as old-fashioned oats. 

If you need to swap in quick oats, make sure to mix the crust/topping together by hand, not in the food processor, to prevent the oats from being chopped further.

Flour – I use all-purpose flour for this recipe. You can swap in whole wheat flour, or your favorite gluten-free all-purpose blend to make this gluten free (check the oats too!).

Cinnamon – A little ground cinnamon perks up the flavors in these bars.

Salt – Just a little bit!

Butter – Use unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter on hand, omit the added salt.

Make sure the butter is cold to be able to cut it into the dry ingredients.

How to make this recipe

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray. If you like, line with parchment paper for easy removal once baked.

Combine figs, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. 

Cook the figs, stirring to dissolve sugar, until figs are broken down and mixture is jammy. I like to mash up the figs a little more with my spatula, or use a potato masher.

This will take about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a food processor, combine oats, flour, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

Pulse a few times to mix and chop the oats a little bit. You don’t want them completely broken up.

Cut the butter into chunks and add to the food processor bowl. 

Pulse again until the butter is cut in and the mixture is clumping like wet sand.

Take half of the oat mixture and press it evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes.

Pour the fig filling onto the parbaked crust, spreading to the edges and into the corners.

Crumble the rest of the oat mixture over the top of the figs.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown.

Let cool before serving to help filling set.

Storage tips

Once the bars have cooled, slice and store them in an airtight container. 

If you need to stack the bars, lay a piece of parchment paper or wax paper between layers to prevent any sticking.

Bars will keep at room temperature for about 3 days.

For longer storage, keep in the refrigerator.

You can also freeze the bars! Simply transfer to a freezer-safe container, placing wax paper between layers, and freeze.

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or pop into the microwave until just warmed through.

Frozen bars will keep for about 3 months.

Recipe suggestions

Swap the brown sugar for honey for an extra floral taste to the bars.

Try different varieties of fresh figs — they’ll all have a unique flavor!

Add more spices with the cinnamon, like nutmeg or ginger.

Swap some of the oats for chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans.

Add lemon or orange zest for citrus flavor.

If desired, swap in fig jam for the fresh fig filling. You will need at least 1 cup of jam to completely cover the crust.

Have extra figs? Make my fig cake with nectarines, or swap in fresh figs in fig wild rice salad.

Try homemade fig bars this fig season!