I found myself with an overabundance of figs, enough to make a man out of a mouse, and their presence on my counter was starting to damage my calm. I sprung into action looking up recipes and came across the idea of making some sort of bar cookie, a figgy, oaty, sort of bar. Then the music came in (Fruity Oaty Bars), the credits rolled, and my invention was born.
The Recipe (For Disaster)
The base recipe I used as a springboard is from the 1989 Betty Crocker Cookbook
Crust
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (You can double this but I felt the filling was sweet enough)
1 1/2 Cup Butter (Melted)
(Update: I experiemented and you can use half butter as much or somewhere in between)
1 1/2 Cup Butter (Melted)
(Update: I experiemented and you can use half butter as much or somewhere in between)
1 3/4 Cups of Flour
1 1/2 Cup Quick-Cooking Oats (Or long-cooking oats, I don't judge)
1 Tsp Salt (I added a little more because I like salty baked goods)
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
Mix all your dry stuff and make sure you get any lumps out. The melted butter is a must, it is your only liquid. Add more butter if you feel your dough is too thick and dry, and it will be thick.
Figgy Filling
The enormous Ziploc bag of figs that I smuggled in the hold were from an Alliance feast and had been soaked in a rosewater syrup that I don't have a recipe for. I pureed (term used lightly) the figs in the food processor using 1/4 cup of warm water and a few tablespoons of lemon juice (exact amount unknown because I was experimenting). I ended up using somewhere around three cups of figgy paste, probably about a pound before pureed. I was making this up as I went along.
You'll have to process the figs in small batches and add liquid until you get a really thick and sticky fig paste. Since my figs were already in a syrup there was some liquid to start with. I would say somewhere near a quarter cup of rosewater syrup would do: maybe this will help.
Some Assembly Required
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Lightly Grease the 9 x 9 pan. You can use a 13 x 9 pan but you'll need to spread everything thinner and adjust the time.
Take half of your crust mixture and smash it into the bottom of the pan to form an even coating. I used the bottom of my measuring cup to smooth it out. Then grab Vera (the spatula) and spread a whole heap of figgy paste on top. I'm gauging my thickness on these layers at about a half an inch.
Once you've got those two layers together you'll need to put on the top layer. I crumbled it on and then gently pressed it before I lightly smoothed it over. Which is to say, I didn't compress it into infinity like I did the bottom layer for fear of disrupting it. The top ended up a bit more crumbly that I wanted so next time I'm going to smear it into oblivion with gusto. Alternatively I could add more liquid to the mixture.
Crumbled
Gently Smoothed
Bake for 20-30 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
Cut into bars or squares immediately upon removing from the oven. Wet your knife in between each cut to help keep it from sticking. Let it cool an hour before attempting to remove from the pan.
My not so even layering
The results are a somewhat moist, somewhat crunchy bar of figgy oaty goodness; singing not mandatory. The taste will make you burst out of your blouse!
