fig & almond homemade granola bars (grain free, scd diet)

these homemade granola bars are the perfect healthy snack, using dried figs and almonds, and zero refined sugar.

I’m not gunna lie, I may or may not be craving all the granola bars right now (OK that might actually be a lie, cause like: when I am ~not~ craving all granola bars is the more appropriate question to ask), which has thus put me into a granola-bar-making black hole of sorts, out of which, I am never sure if I will re-surface wholly. What’s more, I don’t even know if I want to re-surface. I like my black hole of grain free granola options.

Grain free life often means limited access to granola bar-like snacks, i.e. pre-packaged and easy portable goods. These homemade granola bars are part of a solution to that, although, you may find your excursions out of the house limited due to the pandemic, these are still the best snack to throw in a Ziploc bag for a day of errands or what have you. I also love making these bars because you do wind up with a good stash of them to (hopefully) last more than a few days! And they also store fantastically, they’re actually best-stored in the freezer so that they keep their firmness and shape when you do need to take one out– they’ll get soft quite fast.

Following a personal favourite with the crunchy peanut butter granola bars I shared the other week, I am now experimenting with flavours. Lo and behold: fig & almond.  This flavour combination is perfect, definitely quite subtle, but thus, easily like-able by all. I used dried figs, diced into smaller pieces, and added in raisins as a last-minute thought because I like my granola bars packed with goodies, and to me, goodies = dried fruits.

Beyond just dried fruit, these granola bars are made with a mix of almonds, walnuts, almond butter and honey, creating a large sheet of granola which you can then chop up into bars. You can also break it up into large chunks and eat it that way too. It’s delicious and highly addictive so be ware– but it goes so well in some SCD yogurt with a drizzle of honey, or simply by itself, nibbling away while you sip your morning coffee– I often eat them that way.

I’m sharing the recipe below, please let me know if you make them, I’d love to see how they turn out! You can find me on IG @grainfreee and Facebook for more.

A few related recipes if you’re looking for some delicious grain free granola recipes:

• CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA BARS 
• THE ORIGINAL GRAIN FREEE GRANOLA BAR RECIPE 
• APPLE PECAN GRANOLA 
• APRICOT ALMOND BUTTER GRANOLA

fig & almond granola bars: ingredients

• 8 dried figs, softened and pitted (soaked in boiling hot water for 15 minutes to soften or overnight in room temperature water)
• 1/3 cup of honey  
• 1/2 cup of almond butter
• 1 cup of almonds raw, chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 cup of walnuts raw, chopped into small pieces 
• 1 egg 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon 
• 1/2 cup of raisins

fig & almond granola bars: how to

1. Chop up the figs into small pieces.
2. Place the 1/2 cup of honey and the dried figs into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once it boils, add in the almond butter, and turn down to low, simmering for five mins while you mix the almond butter in well. 
3. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl– the chopped almonds, walnuts, and cinnamon.
4. Remove the fig-honey mixture from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Stir the fig-honey mixture in with the dry ingredients.
5. Add the egg, mixing well until everything is well combined and covered as evenly as possible, before finally folding in the raisins.
6. Place the mixture onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray (12 x 8 inches approx), spreading it out with a spatula. You’ll want to push it to the edges of the sheet, and it may take several times of spreading it out, along the length of the baking tray, with the spatula.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 340 for 25-30 minutes. Check after 20 mins to avoid it getting overly browned, depending on personal preference– the longer you leave it in the oven, the harder the granola bar will ultimately become. I personally prefer them hard and crunchy, but keep them in the oven on the lower side of the time-range if you prefer them softer and chewier!
8. After you’ve removed them from the oven, allow them to cool before you cut them up into your preferred granola bars shapes/sizes. From there, you can wrap them individually in parchment paper to store them in a glass tupperware or even in a tall glass mason jar, so you can easily take one out when you want. Store in the freezer if you won’t be consuming them quickly, and pop one out in the morning to put in the fridge, or right before snacking– they will defrost quickly.

Print Recipe

fig & almond granola bars (grain free, scd diet)

these granola bars are the perfect healthy snack, using dried figs and almonds.

Course: Dessert, Snack

Servings: 18 granola bars

Author: grainfreee.com

Ingredients

• 8 dried figs soaked in boiling hot water for at least 15 minutes to soften, or overnight in room temperature water
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup crunchy almond butter smooth is also fine
• 1 cup raw almonds, chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 cup raw walnuts, chopped into small pieces
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup raisins

Instructions

• Chop up the figs into small pieces.
• Place the 1/2 cup of honey and the dried figs into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once it boils, add in the almond butter, and turn down to low, simmering for five mins while you mix the almond butter in well. 
• Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl– the chopped almonds, walnuts, and cinnamon.
• Remove the fig-honey mixture from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Stir the fig-honey mixture in with the dry ingredients.
• Add the egg, mixing well until everything is well combined and covered as evenly as possible, before finally folding in the raisins.
• Place the mixture onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray (12 x 8 inches approx), spreading it out with a spatula. You’ll want to push it to the edges of the sheet, and it may take several times of spreading it out, along the length of the baking tray, with the spatula.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 340 for 25-30 minutes. Check after 20 mins to avoid it getting overly browned, depending on personal preference– the longer you leave it in the oven, the harder the granola bar will ultimately become. I personally prefer them hard and crunchy, but keep them in the oven on the lower side of the time-range if you prefer them softer and chewier!
• After you've removed them from the oven, allow them to cool before you cut them up into your preferred granola bars shapes/sizes. From there, you can wrap them individually in parchment paper to store them in a glass tupperware or even in a tall glass mason jar, so you can easily take one out when you want. Store in the freezer if you won't be consuming them quickly, and pop one out in the morning to put in the fridge, or right before snacking– they will defrost quickly.