I’ve been working on various power bar recipes lately as I need some easy to pack snacks for an upcoming adventure. My husband and I are planning on climbing a 14’er (that would be a 14,000 foot mountain) this summer and of course I want to make sure we have the proper nourishment. These bars will work well for the two of us given our constitutions.
Like all of my recipes, I tested this one many times before posting it here. During one of my test batches the mixture was so thick that the food processor could not spin it further. When this happened, I pulled the mixture out of the food processor and finished working it together with my hands before placing it in the pan. In the event that this happens to you, feel free to use this little trick.
Finally, if you are wanting to reproduce my exact results, use blanched slivered almonds. The key really is the blanched more than the slivered. Recently, I have been purchasing my blanched slivered almonds at the Whole Foods here in Boulder. You can use almonds that are not blanched and you will get more fiber, however, I found the flavor profile was not as good when I made them this way.
As always, feel free to try out any and all substitutions that come to mind so that you can customize these bars to your exact dietary needs. Unfortunately, I don’t know how things will turn out without testing your substitutions, so will not answer substitution questions. Besides, if I did, I’d spend my entire life chained to the computer, and I need to train for that 14’er, remember?
Vanilla Fig Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups blanched slivered almonds
- ⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ⅛ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 15 drops vanilla stevia
- 1 cup dried figs, soaked in ½ cup water for 12 hours
Instructions
- Place almonds in food processor and pulse to texture of gravel
- Pulse in coconut, salt and stevia
- Pulse in figs
- Press mixture into an 8 x 8 inch baking dish
- Refrigerate for one hour
- Cut into 16 squares
- Serve
I like these bars as they have relatively few ingredients and are a fairly nutritious snack made of whole foods. Figs are antioxidant rich and full of fiber. Almonds (one of my favorite foods of all time) are a nutrient dense super food also full of fiber and substances that promote cardiovascular health. Coconut again provides fiber and good fats as well.
Just in case you have any big hiking or travel plans for this summer and need some good gluten free on the go snacks, here are a couple of my other bar recipes:
–Goji Power Bars
–Spicy Power Bars
–Cherry Vanilla Power Bars
Yaelian says
Those bars look really good! I am not crazy about dried figs, but could possibly like them in bars like these:)
San says
You can buy Sweetleaf liquid Stevia in 14 different flavors at amazon.com if your whole foods does not carry it.
Natasa says
How long can I keep them and where (do they need to be refrigerated)? Thanks for the nice recipe!
Karri says
Just wondering if you had tried this with fresh versus dried figs? I have a fig tree in my yard, and want to try this when they come into season.
Jen says
Thanks for sharing! It looks yummy!
How would I make these without the vanilla flavored stevia? Honey?
Jen
Jen says
Opps. I just saw where you don’t answer substitution questions. Sorry about that. :)
Jen
KJS says
I would use honey or agave nectar, and you could always add a little vanilla extract if you wanted to.
SherriS. says
I love that your recipes have few ingredients! I will have to try this one for sure. I was just in Denver last month and couldn’t look and capture those Rockies enough! Good luck with your climb.
kathy scott says
Hi
Love your recipes. But, what is vanilla creme stevia and where can it be purchased? We only have powdered stevia and basic liquid stevia.
Thanks so much
Kathy S.
Jessica says
I’ve seen vanilla stevia at Whole Foods in the supplement section.
mimi says
The recipe links to Amazon to buy the Vanilla Creme Stevia.
Kilee says
Yum! I love figs. Good luck on your strenuous climb!
Rachel {My Coffee Cravings} says
It’s recipes like these that make me super jealous because I wish I had thought of it first! I think I’ll have to go out and buy some figs now!
Carly says
Thanks for the recipe! We live in Colorado, too and hike a lot. I’ve resorted to packing a bunch of dates & eating them like energy gels and then eating a banana half way through the hike (we usually stick to 7 miles when we have the toddler with us on the hubby’s back). Would be nice to switch it up a bit!