Preserved summer figs inspired my recipe for these easy Fig Bars with Oatmeal and Walnuts, great for rounding out and gussying up those seasonal cookie tins!

Fig Bars With Oatmeal And Walnuts

I grew up on fig newtons. Seriously. They may have been the only ‘fruit nutrients’ I ingested for a time there. But in my teens, I had my eyes opened to numerous fresh fig dessert recipes by way of a neighbor with a fig tree. She was always seeking fresh fig recipes for her zillion figs that began ripening around the July Fourth holiday.

Initially, it was mainly homemade and sugar-free fig newtons she had mastered. I was maybe thirteen, so in my estimation, anybody with a fig Newton recipe who also needed leaves raked or their porch swept would get a top-notch job from me!

At some point, the dessert fig became her focus. Fig bar recipes were on the back burner and compotes, puddings, and liquor-infused chocolate figs were all her rage.

I suppose they appealed to the adults more than me. C’est la vie. But…I was sure to get a copy of another dessert bar she did well, this one with fresh figs. I am sharing it with you today…

Additional Fabulous Figgy Recipes to Try!

• Marinated Fresh Fig And Mozzarella Salad
• A Fig Prosciutto and Gorgonzola Pizza
• Figs with Roquefort and Honey

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How This Recipe Came About…

My friend Sarah has a fig tree in her yard. In fact, she has two. Sarah and I became friends because of her fig tree, my keen observation during a yard sale she was hosting when my eyes wandered over the fence.

Sarah, like so many here in the South, struggles with the amount of figs her trees yield during those steamy two weeks every summer fondly known as “fig time.” I kind of offered to help her out and take some of those beauties off her hands. You know, I’m helpful that way…

What to do with my daily haul was a dilemma past day three. Oh yeah, did I mention that there is a need to pick daily? Sarah was all too happy to do the picking on the days I couldn’t get to her, but there were other days that I climbed that ladder in the Charleston heat to grab the gold myself.

A lovely not-too-tart, not-too-sweet fig preserve became the best way to process the basketfuls. I sealed them in a hot bath and set the jars on the counter while waiting for the metal tops to pop and clink. And with those gorgeous preserves did arise these figgy oatmeal bars.

Do You Have What’s Needed for Fig Bars with Oatmeal and Walnuts? Check The List!

• unsalted butter
• granulated sugar
• vanilla extract
• all-purpose flour
• whole wheat flour
• brown sugar
• quick cooking oats
• walnuts
• a single batch fig preserves

Do I Have To Can Preserves Just To Make These Oatmeal Fig Cookie Bars?

No! Not at all. In fact, the recipe for the preserves makes just enough for one batch of these cookie bars. So, no canning whatsoever if you want to yield these bars alone.

If however, you are somebody with a tree or access to loads of fresh figs, know they are easily preserved using my recipe found here together with a formal canning method if you have the know how.

Can I Use Store-Bought Preserves Instead Of Making My Own?

Yes. Any store-bought preserve would work in this recipe. I recently experimented with a mango curd and it was lovely. The only thing I noticed was that the bars were slightly runnier with this particular preserve.

Would Fig And Oatmeal Bars Be Good For A Cookie Exchange?

GOSH DARN YES!!! I miss the cookie exchanges we used to have back in the day because now that I blog about food, I have a hundred fabulous EASY cookie and bar and square recipes that would be great for a cookie exchange or cookie baking party, this being among them.

What Can I Substitute For The Figs In This Recipe?

If you do not have access to fresh figs but want a fresh preserve, use this method for a fruit preserve using any fresh berry that is in season. I have also used apples that I have cubed very small and cooked gently for just a bit longer.

If mixing fruits is your jam (did you catch that; a jelly pun!), try fresh raspberries to the fresh figs for a raspberry fig bar recipe. Chopped fresh cherries are also very good simmered down with the figs. Not too sweet, not too tart. Just really something reminiscent of an old fashioned fig bars recipe that granny might have baked.

This method also works well for bananas and lychee fruit. Just know that you may have to spend additional time gently cooking the moisture out to a stickier and more viscous consistency for these bars.

If the preserve is too runny prior to cooling it, it will be too runny to set up in the bars. Think ‘chutney consistency’ as a means to gauge by.

If you ever over-cook and feel the mixture is too dense, simply grab a wire whisk and add one tablespoon of orange juice at a time to thin the mixture out.

Can I Substitute Another Nut For The Walnuts?

Absolutely. Any nut works, some better than others. If I’m honest, macadamias are my favorite next to the walnuts. Mix a couple varieties if you feel creative.

How Long Do Fig And Oatmeal Bars Take To Prepare?

In all, you are looking at two-ish hours for this recipe. Remember though, that it is broken into parts. There are three parts to this recipe, two parts if you go the “using your own and already canned preserves,” or the store-bought preserves route.

If planning to make the homemade fig mixture filling as I present the method here on Not Entirely Average, plan to spend about 1 hour on this alone. During the time the recipe for fig filling is simmering away, you could be prepping the cookie dough base as well as the crumble topping. Then you’d really only need to spend the time baking them off respectively.

The cookie bars are the easy (two) parts. They bake twice, hence the ‘two;’ once for the cookie base and again with the jammy middle and lux oatmeal walnut topping. Combined, those two bakes take about 30 minutes.

If I am planning on baking a batch of these, I now make the fig preserves ahead. BUT…this is usually because I am also triple and quadruple batching the preserves due to an overage of figs. If you’re only making enough for the cookie bars, processing the preserves the same day is absolutely doable.

Modifying The Norm To Make It Not Entirely Average…

So, something fun…use a strawberry preserve (use my method for the preserves and simply substitute strawberries for the fresh figs), and use chopped, salted peanuts in lieu of the walnuts for a not entirely average PB&J cookie bar.

If looking for figs but you have no access to fresh, dried figs are always an option. Simply reconstitute 8 to 10 ounces of well chopped dried figs in one cup of water with a scant amount of granulated sugar, say 1/4 cup. Cook for anywhere between 5 and 10 minutes over medium high heat until the figs are very, very tender and squish easily with the back of a wooden spoon.

For variations to the oatmeal walnut crumble topping, consider adding mini chocolate chips for a bar that merges fig newtons with chocolate chip cookies.

Alternatively, when the bars are pulled from the oven and still piping hot, a tablespoon drizzle of real maple syrup says autumn like nothing else!

Can Homemade Fig Bars Be Made Ahead?

Yes. If you need to make these ahead for a gathering or for an exchange around the holidays, they may be made ahead and baked up to three days in advance. Keep refrigerated until thirty minutes prior to serving. Slice while cold for crisper and cleaner edges.

Can These Fig Bars Be Frozen?

This is the beauty of this recipe. Yes, yes, and YES! I like to cut parchment paper to fit a lidded and freezer safe container. Depending on how deep the container is, you may be able to freeze several layers of these bars by using the parchment underneath and between the layers.

Freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Pull from the refrigerator thirty minutes before planning to serve so that when you begin to separate the bars, the crumble topping isn’t compromised.