This might come as a surprise to many, but I had never actually eaten a fig before making these bars. So you might be wondering, how did this recipe come about?

Well, one night I was getting dinner with a friend at Eataly in Flatiron and all of a sudden, we walked by a huge display in the market that was stacked with tons of beautiful figs. It grabbed me. I can’t explain it, so I’m not going to try.

But long story short, I walked out with a carton of figs in my hand and then the magic just happened on its own. These spiced fig bars taste and smell like fall. Seriously. The only spice I added was cardamom, which was another first for me. I had never baked or cooked with cardamom before, but now I’ll never go back. It’s like a secret weapon for fall baked goods – the flavor is spicy, herbal, savory and sweet all at the same time.

Happy baking!

xoxo The Secret GF

Ingredients:

1 cup almond flour

1 cup Not Your Mama’s Flour

½ cup coconut sugar

½ tsp cardamom

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ cup agave

½ cup coconut oil, plus extra to grease the pan

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

9 fresh figs

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 375⁰F. Grease a 9x9-inch baking pan with coconut oil.

2. Prepare the figs by washing and cutting into quarters. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, GF flour blend, coconut sugar, cardamom, baking powder, and salt.

4. Heat the coconut oil in the microwave just until melted, but not hot.

5. Add the melted coconut oil, agave, egg, and vanilla extract to the large mixing bowl. Whisk until just combined.

6. Pour the batter into the baking pan and spread it evenly. Next take your figs quarters and set them in the batter, pushing them down a little bit.

7. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

8. Let cool before slicing into bars.