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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Ami says
Just made these with walnuts instead of almonds and honey and vanilla extract instead of vanilla stevia. Don’t do this if you want them to be bars. They taste great but don’t hold together well.
Cristina says
These look delicious. And the fact that you used 3 of my favorite things to snack on almonds, coconut and figs means that I totally have to try these.
Thanks for sharing
Sara says
Can I make these without the STEVIA? I really kinda hate the stuff. And my kids refuse to eat anything with it if they can taste it. However, I believe they love everything else in here….
Thanks – I love your recipes. This is my first comment. Cheers!!
Jennifer says
Yes! I hate stevia too (horrible aftertaste), so I just left it out and added 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. The dried figs are sweet enough without the stevia.
Office Cleaning Sydney Michael says
These power bars sound delicious. Almond and fig are a great combo. On my way to pick up ingredients. Thank you.
Tracy says
Oh my gosh, I love anything with figs. These look amazing!! I can’t wait to make them.
BEG65 says
I understand that Elana won’t answer substitution questions; however I would think commenters could — have any of you tried substitutes for the stevia? Is vanilla creme stevia anything like vanilla extract? I won’t use sugar substitutes, myself, but this looks like a good recipe to tinker with.
If no one has, I’ll see if I can make these with the extract & report back.
Janet says
I just used 2 packets of stevia and some vanilla. The figs are already sweet enough for me, so I don’t require much and may leave the extra sweetener out altogether next time. I drain the liquid. I have made this twice and I don’t see where you can go wrong doing any kind of sweetener and add some extra goodies too, like mini choc chips, etc. All you are doing is chopping it all up and mixing it. How hard is that?
Katie Flores says
I love this idea. My husband and I are outdoorsy people and it’s hard finding things that are easy to make and easily transportable. Thanks!
Candy sultan says
Sounds interesting think I will try then with ground almonds just wondering what is almond flour? Is it just ground almonds ?
Lisa says
This recipe sounds delicious! Great idea for power bars- definitely a necessity here in Colorado :) It’s very cool that you’re in Boulder- I live nearby!
Sherry says
Good luck on your climb! My husband has climbed 10 14ers and my 12yo son has done 3 of them. Remember good shoes and a LOT of water are essential :) Thanks for this recipe. These bars sound good!