Homemade Fig Bars with Crumble Topping
September brings shorter days, cooler nights, and an abundance of figs on my backyard tree. And that means fig bars: a homemade orange and ginger infused fig jam sandwiched between a tender, buttery crust and a crispy crumbly topping.
Ingredients
For the fig jam
- 6 cups fresh figs, halved
- 1 1 inch piece of ginger, grated
- 1 orange, grated and juiced
- 1/4 cup sugar
For the crust
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the fig jam
- Add the figs, grated ginger, orange juice and zest to a medium nonstick pot and bring to a simmer over low heat. Add the sugar in small incriments, tasting to make sure it doesn't become too sweet.
- Allow the jam to cook low and slow until all the liquid has evaporated and the jam is thick enough to stick to the back of a spoon. If the figs pieces have not broken down completely, you can crush them with a potato masher or the back of a spoon.
- Allow the fig jam to cool completely before using. Any extra jam can be properly canned, or stored in an airtight container in the firdge for up to 2 weeks.
For the fig bars
- Preheat oven to 375. Parchment paper and butter a 9x13 baking dish, leaving parchment hanging over the edge to remove the fig bars easier later.
- Wisk together flour, baking powder, salt, white sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Then add the cubed butter and cut with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Press half the mixture into the perpare baking dish, pushing down on it to from the crust.
- Spread 2 cups (or more) of the fig jam in an even layer over the crust. Top with the remaining dough crumbles and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown.