Dried Figs and Blueberries Fudgy Bar

I had some dried figs in the pantry leftover after making this Fig Fruit Cake. Chanced upon a perfect way to use it when I came across this tasty recipe on a beautiful blog - Lite Bite.

The kids eat a lot of cereal bars but filled as they are with sugar I wanted something that has a little bit less sugar like these Lara Bars which I have tried with blueberries and cherries.

blended dried fruits	cooked fruit paste halfway done

These fig bars are somewhat similar but requires cooking because of the water used in blending the soaked fruits. I used blueberries but any dried fruit - apricots or dried cherries would all work good. I made the nuts close to a powdery side for texture leaving a few bigger pieces.

These bars serve as 2 in 1 as energy bars and as a tasty treat.

Recipe Source:Lite Bite - Raisin and Dried Fig Fudge

Dried Figs and Blueberries Fudgy Bar
Preparation Time:20 minutes + overnight soaking
Cooking Time: 30 - 45 minutes
Ingredients

1. 1 cup dried figs
2. 1 cup dried blueberries
3. 1/2 cup of slightly roasted and nuts (pecans, almonds and pistachios) chopped coarsely but closer to the powdery side. Set 2tbsp aside for garnish.
4. 2 tbsp of palm sugar + 2 tbsp of turbinado sugar or brown sugar (I used brown sugar)
5. 2 tbsp of ghee

Method

1. Soak the figs and blueberries in as little water as possible preferably overnight and blend to a smooth paste.
2. In a pan heat half of the ghee and add the blended paste and cook it till comes together about 25 minutes or so.
3. Add the sugar and the chopped nuts and continue to cook till the sugar is incorporated into the fruit mixture and cook for another 20 minutes or so till it reaches soft ball stage.
4. Pour the mixture into a prepared pan which has been greased with some ghee. Spread the mixture evenly in the tray.
5. Let cool and cut into square bars. Sprinkle powdered nuts on top.

Lara Bars! well sort of with roasted almonds and dried blueberries

I know I read Mark Bittman a lot. I scour all remote corners of the internet and devour what he has to say. You have got to read the linked article if you think cereal and granola bars are healthy food.

I have a severe addiction to sugar so it is a good thing I cannot stand cereal and milk and not very fond of granola bars either. The biggest problem though, I do not dislike all of them bars, so I end up eating the few of them a lot. I am not averse to munching on dry cereal either. The problem though with these food items is with their reputation as health food it is easy to overlook and get an overload of sugar.

I prefer eating sweets cognizant of the fact that it is to be consumed in small quantities. With stealth sweets like granola bars and cereals it is hard to figure out how much is too much.

The kids too eat a lot of these bars grabbing one before any activity they are off to. So this recipe for Homemade Cherry Pie Larabar inspired me try making them at home again. They are very similar to the Date 'n Nut Balls which I have been meaning to make forever.

I had dried blueberries so used that in place of the cherries in the recipe. I prefer using toasted nuts to raw nuts but use what works for you. I used a spatula to press the powdered stuff into the the pan but hands would have worked much better. That is how they ended up as balls rather than bars. The kneading also brings out the natural oils which helps bind them together much better methinks. I used Deglet Noor Dates. Mejdool dates according to Jen the author of the original recipe are supposed to be better because they have more moisture in them.

Roasted Almond and Dried Blueberries Energy Bars Balls
Ingredients
1. 1 1/2 cups of roasted almonds
2. 1 1/4 cups of Dates
3. 1 1/2 cups of dried Blueberries

Method
1. Take equal portion of nuts, blueberries and dates and chop them with the blender so the nuts are roughly chopped and the dates have lost their shape and are in small pieces. (the blueberries are harder to chop)
2. I mixed them together with a spatula. Dumped them into a square shaped cake pan and pressed them down and left it in the fridge for 3 hours. When I dumped them on to a board they fell apart so at this stage I used my hands to knead the mixture and shape them into balls.
2. Dump the mixture into a bowl and knead them with the hand so they are coming together and the nuts and fruit stick together. Transfer the mixture over to a pan and press them down firmly. Refrigerate for an hour and cut them into bars .

Energy in the palm of your hands.