Cinnamon-Fig Bars with Orange Buttercream Frosting
Prep Time: 30 Minutes Start to Finish: 2 Hours 10 Minutes
Makes: 16 bars Calories per Bar: 200
It was a warm, rainy day...and I thought to myself, "What a perfect day to get a cup of coffee, and bake up some delicious treats." Cue to Betty Crocker's Cinnamon-Fig Bars with Orange Buttercream Frosting. This sounded like an awesome combination flavor to me. I love figs and citrus, which made the orange buttercream frosting a nice change from your basic buttercream.
Remember those snacks as a kid...teddy grahams? That is what this crust reminds me of. The fig and orange buttercream provide a decadent sweetness to the overall dessert. These bars are definitely more sweet than savory, so if you have a sweet tooth, these are the bars for you!
Ingredients
Filling
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 bag (7oz) dried mission figs, stems removed, chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
Crust
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
Frosting
- 3 tbsp butter or margarine, softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 to 4 tsp milk
- 1 tsp grated orange peel
Directions
- In 1-quart saucepan, boil filling ingredients over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until figs are tender and most of liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; cool 5 to 10 minutes. Pour fig mixture into food processor. Cover; process, using quick on-and-off-motions, until figs are pureed; set aside.
- Heat over to 350 degrees. Grease 8-inch square pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large bowl, combine crust ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until crumbly. Press in bottom of pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until center is set. Spread filling over crust. Bake 6 to 10 minutes longer or just until filling sets. Cool completely, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
- In medium bowl, beat 3 tablespoons butter with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Add powdered sugar. Beat on low speed, adding milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until mixture is smooth and desired spreading consistency. Stir in orange peel. Carefully spread over cooled bars. Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows.
Here are some tips from me to you:
~The recipe says that it makes 16 bars...this is completely subjective as to how big you want to cut your actual bars. You use an 8x8 pan so if you want to make mini bites, you can make 30 or 40 bars. Cut it however your little heart desires.
~There are multiple steps to this recipe, and different stages. If you are good at multi-tasking, you can start the crust while the figs are simmering. This will cut down on the overall time it takes to finish the bars. Overall the bars are easy to make. You just have to wait an hour and 15 minutes for them to cool before frosting them, hence the long start to finish time.
~Mission figs are found in the dry fruit section of the supermarket. Just make sure to trim off the stems before you chop them and cook them.
~I used the nutri-bullet to blend the fig compote. It was easier than getting out a whole food processor and it worked just fine.
~When making the frosting, it will be completely dry and crumbly before you add the milk. I added a little more than 4 teaspoons, to make the frosting thinner. This made spreading the frosting over the figs much easier.
~The longer you let them set, the more compact and stable they will be.
The crust is very crunchy, not doughy or buttery like some other bars I have made in the past. The fig and orange buttercream play off very well together. When handing them out, I had people asking for seconds, which means they are a winner in my book! Comment below and let me know how your bars came out!
<3 P.S.
Since these are so decadent, I recommend cutting the bars on the smaller side, instead of 16 larger bars. This way you will have more to share, and your sweet tooth will still be satisfied!