Figgy Oatmeal Bars with Vanilla Fondant

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I have never really been one for dried figs, dates, apricots, etc (hence the thick fondant layer), but for some reason I bought a bag of dried figs at the grocery store on impulse  (I really do hate impulse buys!).  I didn't want to waste the figs so I knew I had to make something with them.  I have seen plenty of no-bake recipes that use dates as a binder, so I thought figs would be a great replacement.  Figs have a lower glycemic index than dates and they are higher in fiber.  Not to mention, figs are prettier... dried dates look like dead bugs.

So, getting off the topic of how ugly dates are, let's talk about something much better:  these Figgy Oatmeal Bars!  They are very sweet, so I would categorize them as a "dessert" rather than a "snack" or "breakfast."  Despite this, I am still eating them for breakfast...  A good breakfast means a good day, right?  ;)

A delicious breakfast that includes a thick frosting-ish topping just guarantees that you're going to have a great day!  I mean, how else would you explain Arizona's seventy-degree weather?  And my history class being cancelled yesterday?  And me finding an extra jar of peanut butter in the back of my closet?  More peanut butter?  Yeah, today's a good day.

Figgy Oatmeal Bars:  [no bake, high fiber, GF, vegan]
(makes 8-10 bars)

    2 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (GF if you like)

    one 7oz package Dried Figs (about 1+1/4 cups)

    168g (1/2 cup) Brown Rice Syrup
    42g (3 tbs) Coconut Oil, liquid
    2 tsp Vanilla Extract
    1 tsp Hazelnut Extract
    1/2 tsp Stevia Extract

Directions:
1.  Put the oats in a large bowl.
2.  In a powerful blender, add the figs, brown rice syrup, coconut oil and extracts, and blend until there are just a few chunks of figs.  Pour over the oats and fold together.  Let sit for an hour.
3.  Line a brownie pan with parchment paper and flatten the mixture out.   Refrigerate while you make the fondant (recipe below)

As I said above, I'm not much for dried fruit.  That is why I blended the figs to bind the oats, and then topped the bars off with a sweet and delicious fondant.  The fondant was definitely the main focus in this recipe, so I paid less attention to how much I despise dried fruits and more on this healthy fondant!

Vanilla Fondant:
(makes ~1 cup)
    62g (2 scoops) Vanilla Protein Powder
    126g (6 tbs) Honey or Agave
    28g (2 tbs) Coconut Oil, liquid

Directions:
1.  In a medium bowl, stir together all the ingredients.  Stir with a metal spoon until it looks like a frosting.
2.  Scoop over the figgy oatmeal bars and spread with the metal spoon.  It should not spread that well at first, so let it sit for a minute or two.  Grab another metal spoon and use the back of it to spread the frosting out even more, until it reaches the edges of the pan.  The layer should smoothen out now until it looks like the fondant in the pictures.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour, then slice into bars  (read note under the picture below)



The first bar I ate was on the day I made them.  The oats were a little firm, as they have not been cooked, similar to Chewy bars.  Nonetheless, these were still delicious.  The next day, the oats had softened a bit, but my oh my, on the third day, mmm, the bars were perfect!  I recommend storing the bars in the fridge and eating/serving on the third day.

I know, it's tough.  Patience is a virtue.



PS:  The giveaway winners for the stevia extract giveaway are commenter #19, Richa @ Hobby and More and commenter #33, MyFudo

Congratulations, Richa and MyFudo!