FIg Jam Crumble Bars | culinary postcards

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In three words, these vegan crumble bars are:

*Crumby, Chewy and Aromatic*

No, they are not your regular crumble bars.

I used to consider myself a very organized person. I would always think in advance, do my tasks ahead of deadline, always have plan B ready…

Nowadays, I am sleeping 5-6 hours a day, I keep planning new things and letting my to-do list grow from week to week, chasing that deadline until the very last second…

So it’s not very strange that I jumped on making this dessert with just-made homemade fig jam, and spiced it so it smells like late autumn (although it’s still late August). At least I am on time now 😉

You can make these crumble bars with any kind of jam, but consider that this dough, made with three different flours and olive oil, has that rustic, a bit bitter flavor, so something aromatic, with character goes well with it. If you are not a fig fan, use plum jam – it will work equally great.

FIG JAM CRUMBLE BARS {vegan, refined sugar-free}

this recipe first appeared on culinary postcards
serves 6 large bars or 12 smaller ones
Prep time: 10min > Baking time: 35min > Total time: 45min

Ingredients:

crust

70g finely ground almonds

100g barley flour

50g wholewheat buckwheat flour

1 Tbsp flax seed + 3 Tbsp water

pinch of salt

2 Tbsp dark muscovado sugar

70g mild olive oil*

2 Tbsp almond, or other plantbased milk

fig jam**

4lbs fresh figs

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup dark muscovado sugar

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp ground clove

Directions:

to make the crust

First make the crust because it needs to chill in the fridge.
In a small cup, combine ground flax seed with water. Stir good and leave for 10 minutes so it thickens.
In the meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl combine flours, sugar and salt. Add olive oil and stir or work with your fingers until it resembles lumps.
Now add flax egg and almond milk and work everything so it comes together in a bowl.
Wrap it in the foil and put in the fridge for 30 minutes. /It can also be made 1-2 days ahead (kept in a sealed box), which is really convenient./
While the crust is chilling, make fig jam

to make jam (skip if using premade or store bought)

Wash figs and trim ends.
Place figs, sugar and water in heavy bottom pan and bring to boil.
Add spices and lemon juice and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cooking can last from one to two hours, depending on the variety of figs and how thick you want jam to be.
Take off the stove and leave to cool.
These ingredients will give you around 3 8-oz jars of jam. For this recipe you will need a little bit less than 1/2 cup jam. You can place the rest covered in the fridge, and use within 5 days or can for longer storage.

to make the bars

When ready, preheat the oven to 375F (180C) and take out the dough from the fridge.
Prepare your baking dish (square or rectangular one) and line with baking paper.
Divide the dough: you will need approx 2/3 of it (~200g) for the crust and 1/3 (~100g) for the crumble. While using it for the crust, put the rest back in the fridge.
Press the crust firmly in the prepared dish. It should be little thicker than usual pie crust.
Spread the fig jam over, smooth it and top loosely with rest of the dough,crumblin it with your fingers.
Place it in the oven and bake for 30 min, until you see it becoming crunchy and lightly browned.
Take it out and leave to cool before serving.

Notes

*you can replace with coconut oil, or sunflower oil for cheaper version, but have in mind that the taste and quality of olive oil plays an important role in this recipe

**if you dislike aromas of clove and/or dark muscovado sugar, replace them with sugar and spices of your choice