Raw Vegan Peanut Butter Fig Bars

Raw Vegan Peanut Butter Fig Bars

Amanda Nicole SmithDessert, Gluten Free, Quick & Easy, Raw Vegan, Snacks, Vegan 10 Comments

These rich fudge-like peanut butter fig bars will melt in your mouth and remind you just how well peanut butter and jelly get along. The fig in the crust is reminiscent to the sweetness of grape jelly, and those crispy fig seeds create an elevated texture.

These babies were inspired by my mom on our camping trip this summer in upstate NY! She made them slightly different, I can’t actually remember exactly what she used as the base, it might have just been whole peanuts and dates. If it was something else, I’m sure a peanut and date crust would be delicious anyways. I do remember her saying she used honey, however I choose to use the thicker vegan variant; coconut nectar.

I pretty much ate all of the ones she made, I’ll have to bring her some of these next time we visit, typical 😉 ! Dominick is allergic to peanuts so unfortunately he can’t enjoy this version, but fortunately almond butter is the perfect peanut butter substitute! I can also imagine sunflower butter working quite well.

Despite how delicious they already were, I kept thinking how amazing it would be if jelly was somehow intertwined. I settled on figs and walnuts for the crust but than realized that just a fig crust would be even better and more simple. On third thought, next time I will definitely blend the figs with water to make a raw jelly and swirl that into the peanut butter mixture; and possibly eliminate the crust. I suppose the combinations are endless!

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The fudgy yet melt in your mouth texture, is truly decadent and it’s very simple to make. All you do is blend together peanut butter, coconut oil, sweetener, and sea salt. This could be made all by itself and still taste incredible. However the true sweet tooth in me says, take it a step further!

The crust took me 2 minutes to make, just add walnuts and figs into a food processor or blender until it all starts to stick together. Then I spread the crust on the bottom of a glass pan. That’s it.

Raw Vegan Peanut Butter Fig Bars

That is true peanut butter liquid gold up there. I was skeptical that the mixture wouldn’t harden because it was so thin. To my surprise, they hardened after being in the freezer for an hour or so. After that they should be stored in the fridge, they stay perfectly firm and literally just melt in your mouth.

Raw Vegan Peanut Butter Fig Bars

Fudge-like peanut butter bars with a fig crust
Prep Time10 minutes
Servings: 12
Author: Amanda Nicole Smith

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/8 cup coconut nectar
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Crust

  • 1.5 cups dried figs; turkish or mission
  • 1/2 cup walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Cut off the fig stems, and half them.
  • Blend together the walnuts and figs until it starts to stick together.
  • Pat the crust down firm into a 8x6 glass dish.
  • Blend together peanut butter, coconut oil, coconut nectar and sea salt; if your peanut butter is unsalted, and pour it on top of the crust.
  • Freeze the bars for an hour or until hard; store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

NOTES

Check the sweetness of the peanut butter filling. To amp up the sweetness use 1/4 cup coconut nectar, or an 1/8-1/4 cup of agave or honey for a different kind of sweet.
If your figs are super dry, soak them for 15 minutes or until they start to soften a bit.

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Comments 10

    1. Post
      Author
    2. New fave recipe! I think the walnuts add the perfect balance to the surprisingly sweet and chewy texture of the figs. And the PB filling is SOOOOO rich and decadent, just like fudge. So sweet and balanced. Mmmmm. I topped mine with fresh raspberries to cut the fatty taste. AMAZING! Thank you!

  1. Thank you! We went with maple syrup this time and also added some vegan chocolate chips! They’re in the freezer and we’re anxiously waiting! I’m sensitive to dairy and so is our 4 year old son so we’re on a journey to find new treats!

  2. While I appreciate the work you probably put into this recipe I’m dissapointed in the results. The filling just tastes like cold peanut butter, not anything like fudge. I also feel like I wasted my figs by combining them with walnuts, the walnuts taste kind of bitter in comparison? I wish I’d used almonds or something. Maybe I’m just not a walnuts person.

    1. I’m sorry to hear about your less than desirable results. Fortunately all is not lost, there are still some things you can do to make it more suitable to your taste buds. It sounds like you may be a more sweet and salty kind of gal. I did try to use the minimal amount of sugar as possible. So here’s what I suggest, let the peanut butter mixture melt again, then add an extra 1/8 cup or more of your sweetener of choice and mix it right in the same dish. Try it before you let it firm up again. You can also add a bit more salt, especially to the walnut and figs to get rid of any bitterness, but I know that’s a little more tedious to get to. I’ve never experienced the bitterness from walnuts you speak of, but I know that when my cacao treats are too bitter, salt combats it. I hope this helps!

  3. Pingback: 50 Healthy Vegan Peanut Butter Recipes | Serving Realness

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