Homemade Fig Bars Recipe (Gluten-Free!) - Maebells (2024)

FAQs

What is inside a fig bar? ›

The fig roll or fig bar is a biscuit or cookie consisting of a rolled cake or pastry filled with fig paste.

Homemade Fig Bars ingredients

We need 8 ounces (half a pound) of dried figs for this recipe. You can use Turkish or Calimyrna figs that have been dried completely. They should be somewhat soft and chewy, never overly hard or crisp.

Nature's Bakery Gluten Free Fig Bar, Raspberry, Plant-Based, Vegan Friendly, Kosher, Non-GMO, 2 Ounce (Pack of 12)

Fig fruit bars like “Fig Newtons” are a favorite of mine. I grew up eating them and I like that dried figs (such as those pictured below) alone also taste very much like the bars/cookies and vice versa. The great thing about both is that unlike many other snacks, they have a shelf life of about a year.

But figs are also packed with phytochemicals which may be are just as important as antioxidants (maybe even more so) when it comes to reducing inflammation. Found exclusively in plant foods, phytochemicals are bioactive compounds that research suggests have antioxidant-like and anti-inflammatory effects.

Digestive symptoms

Since figs have a high fiber content, eating too many figs — especially dried figs — can cause diarrhea.

Boukha (Tunisian Arabic: بوخة) is a distilled beverage produced from figs. It originated in the Tunisian Jewish community, where most of it is still produced.

Rich in potassium, figs restore balance and help lower blood pressure.

Nature's Bakery Fig Bars

According to Dr. Berookim, they contain an enzyme called ficain that helps ease constipation, and these snack bars are filled with 'em.

Are figs wasp eggs? No. While female wasps lay eggs within a fig fruit, the crunch you experience when eating a fig does not come from those eggs. All wasps have either exited the fig or their exoskeletons have been broken down and absorbed by the fruit.

Why are figs not considered vegan? ›

The fig wasp burrows a hole into the fig, and lays eggs if it is a male fig, and simply dies if it is a female fig. The eggs in a male fig hatch into larvae that burrow out, and carry the pollen with them. The female fig digests the wasp completely. So, technically, figs are not really vegan, or even vegetarian.

A fig is actually the stem of an inflorescence, very enlarged and fleshy, that surrounds the tiny flowers inside. The crunchy little things that you notice when eating a fig are the seeds, each corresponding to one flower. Such a unique flower requires a unique pollinator.

Fig Bar Nutrition FAQs

Nature's Baker Fig Bars also contain added sugar and seed oil – both ingredients health-conscious parents may want to avoid for their kids or only allow in moderation. Fresh fruit or carrot sticks make excellent snacks for kids.

Granulated sugar and brown sugar are typically in fig bars and they do more than just sweeten the cookies. Sugar adds structure to the dough. So, it plays a necessary part in the recipe.

Any dark or super mushy spots are a good indicator of spoilage as well. If you see water leaking out from the bottom of a fig, that's a surefire indicator that spoilage has begun on the interior.

If the wasp climbs into a female fig, she pollinates it, but cannot lay her eggs and just dies alone. Luckily for us, the female fig produces an enzyme that digests this wasp completely. The crunchy bits are seeds, not wasp parts.

The sticky stuff is the waste that these insects excrete -- euphemistically called “honeydew.” (That sounds nicer than “scale poop.”)

Conclusions. Nature's Bakery Fig Bars contain some healthy food ingredients and are more nutritious than most regular candy bars. The gluten-free variations contain a blend of five grains with significant health properties.

The peel of a fig is thin and soft, so it is usually not necessary to remove it before eating. The seeds of figs are small and edible, although some people prefer to spit them out. The pulp, which is the fleshy part of the fruit, is the main part of the fig and is what most people enjoy eating.