It can be hard to find granola bars that are paleo-friendly because so many are made with oats, grains, and refined sugars. If you’re trying to watch your carbs, keeping paleo, or looking for gluten-free high protein dairy free snacks, these paleo fig and nut bars will become a new favorite.
High Protein Dairy Free Snacks the Whole Family Loves
We wanted a portable snack that was easy to make and contained only whole, nutritious ingredients. A hearty collection of healthy nuts and seeds provided the basis for our homemade bars.
Nuts and egg whites up the protein in the energy bars—and are a great start in the morning or as a snack to enjoy throughout the day. The nuts featured here include almonds and cashews. Pepitas, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds add crunch and flavor, while flaxseeds add omega-6’s and fiber to the mix.
Toasting the nuts and seeds before pulsing them in the food processor gave our bars a pleasant roasted flavor, and the moderate heat of a 300-degree oven ensured that they all toasted evenly without burning.
Naturally Sweet Fig and Nut Bars
Sun-Maid and Orchard Choice Figs bring fiber to the fig and nut bars, along with natural sweetness and chewy texture too.
Maple syrup is the other sweetener here and also aids in binding the bars together. We found that processing some of the figs with the maple syrup, warm water, and an egg white gave the bars a slight chew while still allowing the nuts and seeds to remain crisp. We stirred the remaining chopped figs into the mixture for textural contrast; tasters also liked the little bursts of sweetness.
Final Notes for Homemade Energy Bars
The final step in perfecting our homemade “granola” bars was to ensure that they were evenly baked. After baking the nut and seed mixture in a 13 by 9-inch baking pan, we cut it into bars while it was still warm (which made cutting clean lines much easier), spread the bars out on a baking sheet, and returned them to the oven to finish baking. The result: evenly toasted bars with lots of crunch and a slight chew that made a perfect, energy-packed snack.
Be sure not to over-bake the nuts and seeds in step 2; they will continue to toast while the bars bake.
Paleo Fig and Nut Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole raw almonds
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2/3 cup raw pepitas
- 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup flaxseeds
- 2 TBSP sesame seeds
- 1 cup chopped Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs
- 1/4 cup warm tap water
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Cut 18-inch length foil and fold lengthwise to 8-inch width. Fit foil into length of 13 by 9-inch baking pan, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to over-hang pan edges. Cut 14-inch length foil and fit into the width of the pan in the same manner, perpendicular to the first sheet (if using extra-wide foil, fold second sheet lengthwise to 12-inch width). Grease foil.
- Spread almonds, cashews, pepitas, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, and sesame seeds on aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until pale golden and fragrant, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer nut mixture to food processor and let cool slightly, then pulse until coarsely chopped, about 5 pulses; transfer to a large bowl.
- Process ½ cup figs, warm water, maple syrup, egg white, and salt in now empty processor until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Stir processed fig mixture and remaining ½ cup chopped figs into nut mixture until well combined. Spread mixture in prepared pan and press firmly into even layer using greased metal spatula. Bake until golden brown, 22 to 28 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Do not turn off oven.
- Let bars cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift bars out of the pan; transfer to a cutting board and cut into 20 bars. Space bars evenly on parchment paper–lined baking sheet and bake until deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let bars cool completely on wire rack, about 1 hour. Serve. (Bars can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 week.)
