Honey, Walnut, and Fig Granola Bars

I am TOTALLY in love with these Honey, Walnut, and Fig Granola Bars. Can't get enough of 'em. They're nutty and figgy and packed with good-for-ya ingredients. They're great with milk for the kiddos and great with coffee for da mamas and da papas. 😉 They are snack heaven in my book.

I have to admit, these Honey, Walnut, and Fig Granola Bars are a little addicting.

The trick to these yummy (and slightly addicting) snackies is toasting the nuts and oats. It makes for fabulous texture and amazing flavor. I also love that I can get my anti-nut eater to eat them. I process the walnuts so they blend in perfectly with the oats and he's none the wiser. Tricky mommy. 😉




Half of the walnuts get zapped in a food processor until they turn into a fine powder. Mine actually started turning into nut butter - that's okay too!




The rest of the walnuts get chopped fine. I used my food processor for this step too. Such a handy tool. You can leave the nuts chunkier if you like a big nut bite in your bars.




I like to dice up some of the figs to mix into the bars and slice the rest into rounds to decorate the top. Pretty snacks make me happy. 😊

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix up the moist ingredients and microwave for about a minute. Pour into the dry ingredients, mix it well, and dump into a parchment lined pan.







Spread the mixture fairly evenly, then lay on the sliced fig rounds before packing the granola down. I use a rubber spatula to pack it down as tightly and evenly as I can. That way the bars stay together better.

The sliced fig rounds atop these Honey, Walnut, and Fig Granola Bars add such a pretty touch.

Refrigerate until cold and slice into squares or bars. I like to store my bars in the fridge.

Honey, Walnut, and Fig Granola Bars

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups whole oats
1 cup walnuts
4 oz bag dried figs (make sure the stems have been removed)
1/4 cup brown sugar or regular sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a large and a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the oats to the large baking sheet and spread out evenly. Add the walnuts to the other. Bake both trays for 7 to 10 minutes until both are nice and toasty. Keep a close eye on the trays.
3. While your oats and nuts are toasting, dice up a little less than half of your bag of figs. Make sure you remove any stems present. Cut the remaining figs into rounds to top the bars.
4. Let the walnuts cool down for a few minutes and then add half to a food processor and zap until it resembles almond flour. Remove and add the remaining walnuts. Process until chopped fine.
5. In a large bowl, toss together the oats, processed walnuts, and the diced figs.
6. In another microwave safe bowl, combine the brown sugar, coconut oil, and honey. Microwave on high for 45 to 60 seconds or until bubbly. Stir down, add vanilla and salt, and stir until smooth.
7. Add honey mixture to dry mixture and coat well.
8. Dump granola mixture into a parchment lined 9 x 9 inch square pan. Spread out evenly, but don't press down yet.
9. Sprinkle the sliced fig rounds evenly over the granola mixture. Use a rubber spatula to press the rounds into the granola and to compress the whole mixture as much as possible. The more compact you can get your mixture, the better the bars will stay together.
10. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until cold and set. Then slice into bars or squares.

* This recipe is easily doubled in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan or dish.