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
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Cate @ Girl Cooks World says
Oh my god- I can’t even imagine that hike. I feel like I’m winded going up the stairs these days! Need to get out and do some more hiking this summer.. hopefully after I’ve made a batch of these vanilla fig bars!
Ashley says
Yes! Must try these soon. Yummmy :)
Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy says
oh my Gosh, these sound fabulous! I LOVE figs — and this combo of tasty goodness sounds divine! thanks for the recipe!
Laura @ Gluten Free Pantry says
I adore figs. These bars sound divine. Thank you Elana!
Bernadette says
For those of you who are like me and think this sounds tasty, I looked up the total calories and it’s about 2600, dividing that into 16 squares means 160 for those little two-bite sized portions.
Good for hiking and needing energy, but not if your big hike is to the kitchen for another portion :)
Healthy Living Val says
I was thinking the same thing! Thanks for the calorie info. I bet these would be great before a workout as more of a meal replacement/energizer too.
Wendy says
Wow. Thanks for the calorie info. How did you calculate it? Did you get the breakdown of protein per serving? Thanks!
Julia says
Fig, almond and vanilla, in 1 bar, that is just pure delight in my mouth!
Amber says
These look so yummy! I can’t wait to try them once I get my hands on some figs! Thanks, as always, for sharing your deliciousness with us!
Shari in NC says
Elana,
Thanks for sharing another yummy & nutritious recipe! Could you please share more about your favorite foods for long hikes & overnight / weekend camping trips? I’m particularly interested in recipes to make with 12 middle-school Girl Scouts (either before or during the trip.) Sharing a bit about your hiking / camping food cooking & prep philosophies would be amazing!
Thanks so much!
Shari
sha says
these look delish! i am currently helping my bf train to hump the entire appilachain trail and have been looking for a replacement for those disgusting power bars that rip thru our belly’s something terrible. one question though….how long will they hold up outside the fridge? i would love to pack 6-8 of them for a weekend long camping hike? any thoughts?
Lynnette says
I back pack with similar recipes in the Rockies with no problem but at altitude heat usually isn’t a factor. They lasted in the car with heaters on for a week recently.
Elena says
Sounds deLISH!! Thank you for posting.. I’m going to try it this weekend!
Do you drain the figs after you’ve soaked them? or add the water to the blender to? I’ve never heard of vanilla crème stevia but I’ll see if I can find some. Do you think vanilla essence would work instead?
Thanks so much!
Elena x
Elena says
ooh sorry… I just noticed the substitution comment!