Gluten-Free Cashew Oat Fig Bars
Ingredients
Fig Filling Ingredients:
- 13 ounces (2½ – 3 cups) roughly chopped dried figs, stems removed
- 2 Tablespoons local honey (or maple syrup/preferred sweetener)
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Crust Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups oat flour (or 1 ½ cups oats to make own oat flour)
- ½ cup oats
- 1 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
- ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon pink Himalayan or sea salt
- 2 scoops Organixx Clean Sourced Collagens powder (optional)
- 1 cup (+ extra if needed) cashew butter (or favorite seed/nut butter)
- 2 – 3 Tablespoons honey (or maple syrup/preferred sweetener)
Optional Add-Ins:
- Filling: orange juice + orange zest instead of lemon juice
- Crust: ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut, ½ cup chopped nuts/seeds, ½ teaspoon ginger
Instructions
- Place chopped-up figs into a bowl and cover with hot filtered water. Let sit for about 10 minutes to soften.
- Drain figs (reserve liquid) and place them into a food processor along with sweetener, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Process until smooth, adding fig water if needed (especially if using a non-liquid sweetener). Set aside.
- **If making your own oat flour, simply place oats in a food processor and process until flour forms. Stop processing when you’ve reached your desired texture.**
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together flour, salt, cinnamon, and collagens powder (if using).
- In a large bowl, mix together honey and cashew butter. Add in flour mixture and stir well to combine. It may be easier to use your hands as the batter will be thick. If the batter is not coming together all the way, you may need to add in a few tablespoons of honey or cashew butter.
- Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper.
- Add about ¾ of the oat batter to the pan and flatten out. Top with fig filling. Sprinkle the remaining oat batter over the top.
- In a preheated 350F oven, bake bars for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.
Notes
Makes 12 bars. Per bar (based on using local honey, Organixx Clean Sourced Collagens & cashew butter):
Calories: 292 |
Total Fat: 8 g |
Total Carbohydrate: 42 g |
Dietary Fiber: 6 g |
Protein: 8 g
Ingredient Highlights
Cashews are a good source of healthy dietary fats and essential minerals, including copper, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. You can easily make your own cashew butter at home by blending roasted cashews in a high-speed blender or food processor until creamy.
Just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon daily can have positive effects on blood sugar levels, digestion, immunity, and more.
Figs are a good source of potassium and dietary fiber. A study of over 50,000 post-menopausal women found a 34% reduction in breast cancer risk for those consuming the most fruit fiber compared to those consuming the least. Other high-fiber fruits include apples, dates, pears, and prunes.
Enzymes in fresh lemon juice accelerate the digestive process. Even though lemon juice is acidic, it actually has an alkalizing effect on the body.
Oats are technically gluten-free because they aren’t a type of wheat, barley, or rye grain. However, if you have celiac or a significant gluten sensitivity, look for oats that are certified gluten-free to ensure no cross-contamination.
With the Organixx Clean Sourced Collagens in this recipe, you not only get 5 different types of collagen, but also camu camu, acerola cherry, horsetail extract (silica), and zinc gluconate to ensure your body can actually USE the collagen you’re taking.
Raw honey is a good source of many vitamins and is rich in antioxidants. Its antioxidant and anti-bacterial properties can help improve overall immune function.
Vanilla was once used in Europe as an aphrodisiac and in the production of certain medicines such as nerve stimulants.
Your collagen is top notch.. Will be ordering some more very soon.. Don't want to name drop, but yours is way better then Vital Proteins.. We just started using that brand because it's available at your local Walmart...