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I love chocolate and oatmeal together. One rich and creamy, the other toasted and nutty. They complement each other almost too well. Then in comes Mr. Fig and it’s a freaking party. And you’re invited.
I’ve been craving hard on these 85% cocoa chocolate bars from Trader Joe’s. They melt absolutely beautifully and are the perfect amount of dark without the bitter. I’m putting them in everything, from my Chocolate Chunk Muffins to these insane brownies coming to the blog next week to, of course, these chocolate oatmeal bars. They’re pretty inexpensive ($1.49 for 3.5 ounces!) and blow any other ‘gourmet’ dark chocolate out of the water.
I think in general I’ve been crushing on TJ’s lately. Their nuts are amazing, as is their Pound Plus Chocolate Bar (I know, more chocolate), as is their tofu. So if you haven’t been lately, this is your encouragement to go this weekend.
Hey, the fact that there’s oatmeal in these bars makes them breakfast material. Right?
How to make fig & dark chocolate oatmeal bars
This is arguably the easiest baked good you can make. The basic steps for making these fig and dark chocolate oatmeal bars are:
Cream the butter and sugars — As always, you need to beat the butter and sugars for a few minutes until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Once that’s done, add in the egg and vanilla extract.
Incorporate the dry ingredients — Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add them into the butter mixture. Mix until everything is just combined and you don’t see any streaks of flour.
Fold in the good stuff — Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped figs, chocolate chunks, and oats (make sure you’re using old-fashioned oats and not instant!). Restrain yourself from eating the batter as is.
Bake the bars — Pop the fig and dark chocolate oatmeal bars into the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. You’ll want to let these bars cool most of the way before slicing and serving them (these don’t slice very well when they’re warm).
How to store fig & dark chocolate oatmeal bars
These fig and chocolate oatmeal bars can hang out on your counter in a sealed container for up to a week. These also freeze really well — just stick the bars into a freezer baggie and seal it tightly. When you’re ready to dig into a bar, either heat it up in the microwave (it’ll become crumbly if you do this) or set it out on your counter to come to room temperature on its own.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9″x9″ baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract for an additional minute.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. With the wet ingredients mixing on low speed, slowly incorporate in the dry ingredients until almost combined. Remove from mixer and fold in oats, figs, and chocolate with a spatula.
Spread the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the center of the bars. Allow to cool on cooling rack before serving!
[…] I know I’m not the only one who does this but sometimes, while walking around the grocery store, I make random impulse buys that I want to try cooking or baking with. This past trip, I walked by some dried dates and thought “Why not?!” In a pinch I decided to grab dark chocolate because in my head that sounded like a good combination with dried fruits. Then I attacked the Pinterest. I basically search what I want to be my “star” ingredients and look at the pictures for one that looks tasty. What I found was this! https://bromabakery.com/2016/01/dark-chocolate-fig-oatmeal-bars-recipe.html […]
Leave a comment and rate this recipe!
Do you have the nutritional value ?
I do not, sorry Melissa!
Thank you for this great recipe !!!
★★★★
[…] I know I’m not the only one who does this but sometimes, while walking around the grocery store, I make random impulse buys that I want to try cooking or baking with. This past trip, I walked by some dried dates and thought “Why not?!” In a pinch I decided to grab dark chocolate because in my head that sounded like a good combination with dried fruits. Then I attacked the Pinterest. I basically search what I want to be my “star” ingredients and look at the pictures for one that looks tasty. What I found was this! https://bromabakery.com/2016/01/dark-chocolate-fig-oatmeal-bars-recipe.html […]
Wow… Can’t wait to make these.
So I have tonnes of dates, do you think I could substitute them for the figs?
Thanks!
Hmm. They’d definitely be sweeter, but if you’re into that you can!
Just made them, they’re wonderful!
A touch underbaked, but there’s nothing wrong with gooey…
★★★★★
Do you think I could make this in an 8 x 8 pan? If so, how long should I bake them?
I do! I think it would probably take about 40 minutes because they’ll be thicker!
these look amazing! could I use fresh figs instead? ps. love your work!
Those would change the texture, but it’s worth giving it a try! I think it would be a little weird, but let me know how it turns out!