Fig, Date & Almond Granola Bars
Back when I first got out of college and was pining my days away in a cubicle farm, I always hit that stereotypical 3pm brick wall at full speed. To be honest, I still start to drag in the middle of the afternoon but the effects are somewhat lessened when you’re not stuck in a cube with the buzz of white noise clogging up your ears. My remedy for the 3pm crash back in those days was Diet Coke and a snack. For awhile I would wander to the vending machines (walking away from your desk always helped) and grab pretzels or crackers. Then, I started buying boxes of granola bars and keeping them at my desk. They immediately became my go-to snack food when I needed to tide over hunger at work. Truth be told, I haven’t eaten them much since then, partly because I try to stay away from prepackaged/processed foods. Last year I started experimenting with homemade granola bars; not only are they much tastier but there are limitless possibilities in terms of flavors! And they’re still good to have in the house when I hit that 3pm brick wall in my home office :)
I came across this formula for soft and chewy granola bars over at Good Life Eats a little while ago and couldn’t wait to start experimenting! There are five basic components: grains (oats), nuts/seeds, dried fruit, a sticky sweetener and a binder (complete details are below). You can mix and match all sorts of different ingredients and flavors, which is awesome.
These sort of became my “let’s clean out the baking pantry” granola bars. I used up the dates, figs and raisins that I had and they magically added up to just about 1 cup. I had almonds, so I used those, then did honey as my sticky sweetener and unsweetened applesauce (had just enough left!) as my binder. After I made them I realized that they were almost exactly like the Cucidati cookies that I’ve made. Those have a filling that consists of pureed figs, dates, raisins, walnuts, honey and orange marmalde. Guess what? Next time I’m subbing in walnuts for the almonds and orange marmalade for the applesauce. Cucidati granola bars! I can’t wait!
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Basic Granola Bar Formula
1. Rolled Grains (2½ cups)
Suggestions: Oats, Rye flakes, Barley flakes, etc.
2. Nuts, Seeds & Spices (1 cup)
Suggestions: Almonds, Walnuts, Pecans, Pistachios, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Cinnamon, Ginger, etc.
3. Sticky Sweetener (1/3 cup + ¼ cup)
Suggestions: Honey, Agave Nectar, Molasses, Maple Syrup
4. Dried Fruits (1 cup)
Suggestions: Raisins, Apricots, Dates, Figs, Prunes, Cranberries, Pineapple, etc.
5. Binder (1 cup)
Suggestions: Pureed Dried Fruit, Apple Butter, Peanut Butter, Almond Butter, Unsweetened applesauce, etc.
Fig, Date & Almond Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup (244 g) unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓ cup (113 ml) + ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 2½ cups (202.5 g) rolled oats
- 1 cup (143 g) chopped almonds
- ⅓ cup (49.67 g) chopped dried figs
- ⅓ cup (49 g) chopped dried dates
- ⅓ cup (48.33 g) raisins
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- 2. In a large bowl, whisk together the honey, applesauce, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Stir in the oats, making sure that it is evenly mixed and all of the oats are moistened. Mix in the almonds, figs, dates and raisins.
- 3. Turn the mixture out into the baking pan and press into the pan, making sure it is evenly distributed and tightly packed.
- 4. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the freezer until the bars are firm, at least 1 hour. Remove from the pan and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Recipe Note: I experimented with this recipe using both traditional rolled oats and quick oats. I tended to like the consistency of the bars with the quick oats, but I had my mom taste both and she liked the traditional rolled oats better. So I think it's a matter of taste/preference. Give them both a shot (or use what you have on hand) and see which you like better!
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Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I’m experiencing that 3pm slump right now. Please send one of these delicious bars ASAP!
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Haha, just kidding, I just saw where you said that you can… Sorry about that!
I love making granola bars, but a lot of times mine fall apart. I really need to try your version since yours seem to have stayed together perfectly!
I love chewy granola bars, especially with dates and almonds. The fact that you made these from scratch is wonderful. Thanks for posting the recipe, I may just try it one day.
Thank you for this “build your own” granola bar recipe. I have definitely got to give these a try!! I LOVE GRANOLA BARS
Has anyone tried making homemade granola bars like this and then freezing some of the results? I would love to make these but think I would like to make a double batch and freeze some to thaw out another week…thoughts/recommendations about this?
I have made them and they freeze just fine. Cut them up, individually wrap for a quick snack. They are a little more crumbly, but still taste great!
These look and sounds delicious! So much so that I’m going to make some up this afternoon! Thanks : )
I also have a box of organic granola bars in my desk as a go to snack at work. I love this mix and match formula for making your own. I can’t wait to try it.
im getting ready to start working again and this would be a great snack to have on hand – thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the post! I have been looking for a granola bar recipe. Can’t wait to try this one!
homemade granola bars are an obsession in my life. the recipe i use is similar to this one, but i’ll have to try yours too. i also found swapping the vanilla extract for maple extract was a nice change. since i make these every couple weeks, i like to change things around a little each time.
I love this recipe and the versatility that it has. I don’t have any unsweetened applesauce, at the moment, so quick trip to the store, and my husband will have a quick, healthy snack! Thanks for the experimentation beforehand.
It doesn’t occur to me to make my own granola bars, but this recipe might change that. (For one thing, it’s egg-free, meaning I can have some without tweaking!) I usually have odd bits of fruit, dried or otherwise, around the house–this would be a great way to help me dispose of some.
One of these days I WILL make homemade granola bars. And I think I’ll start with this chewy version.
these bars look delicious! I love making my own homemade bars, so much healthier can’t wait to try yours out!
Love mix & match recipes! I hate when I have to buy something just to go into a recipe, & then whatever I don’t use sits in my pantry. With this formula, I just might have to whip some of these up tonight! :)
oooh i love the basic formula. i made a batch of granola bars this weekend, and they called for corn syrup, which i did have (and subsequently used up). i just didn’t like using it…so thanks for your other sticky sweetener ideas :)
I absolutely love how versatile granola bars can be. And the fact that you can pretty much throw in whatever is laying around your pantry, too! I just made a batch of loose granola a few weeks ago, but now I feel like making some bars. These just look too good to pass up! Thanks for the awesome formula — so helpful and inspiring!
These look so healthy! I love the recipe :)
What a fantastic looking granola bar. Easy enough to convert to gluten free as well. Thanks for the recipe, always looking for new granola bar recipes to try!
I like an oat texture somewhere between Quick and rolled, so what I do is use half rolled wheat/rye/oat cereal and half quick oats. And if you want a really spectacular taste treat, use treacle (also know as golden syrup) for the sticky sweetener. It is truly out of this world.
happy march & what a nice way to start the month!
i have been looking for a great granola bar recipe…my hunt is over…i love all the options!
as always…thanks so much!
thanks for posting. My sons both have nut allergies so I am very limited to the choices available at the stores. I just want you to know that I recently borrowed from the library, Dorie Greenspan’s “From My Home To Yours”. You are right! Lots of great recipes in there….My father was so impressed he rushed out and bought a copy for my mother’s collection. She immediately made a batch of muffins. So many recipes….so little time!
This recipe is a keeper! Thank you
Love homemade granola bars! I like how you add apple sauce to yours as well. Will definitely be trying your recipe next time. Thanks for sharing!
I don’t know why I never think to make my own granola bars. Yours look great and really healthy, too.
I’m all too familiar with that 3PM slump!!! These look wonderful- I love that you gave us a “guide” for making our own bars. :)
These sound wonderful. I thought of Cucidati as soon as I read the recipe title! And I was wondering what I was going to do with the leftover Cucidati filling that’s been languishing in the freezer since December. This has inspired me to think of it as binder. Thanks for that!
I agree, the cicidate sounds great, can’t wait to see it. Thanks for the breakdown on the different components, that’s handy to have. I just bought figs the other day, not knowing what to do with them, so I think I ‘ll just have to make these granola bars.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I’ve been looking for a while for a granola bar recipe that was “all-purpose” and I’m so happy I’ve found it! The Cucidati variation sounds wonderful.