Fig Oat Squares

I was over at my friend Jason's a couple of weeks ago.  Little did I know that I would eat half of the squares he had made.  I can't even remember if they were date or fig squares.  Nonetheless, I was inspired.

I bought these figs at Costco. I knew that they would be the perfect filling for these sweet squares.

I had to sample a few figs before beginning to prepare this recipe. They were so delicious!

I boiled the package of figs with brown sugar and water.

After about 10 minutes, the consistency was soft, but not quite soft enough.  I poured it into my Magic Bullet and blended the mixture to form the consistency of a smooth paste. While I prepared the dry ingredients, the fig paste was left to cool.

Don't you just love the combination of oats, sugar, flour and butter?

After combining the dry ingredients with butter, this is what the bottom layer of the squares looked like.

I used an offset spatula to evenly spread the filling over the crust.

...and sprinkled the remaining crumbs over top. 

Boy were these delicious!

Fig Oat Squares (adapted from Dinner with Julie)

Base & topping:

1 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour, or a combination
1 cup oats
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter, chilled

Date Filling:
1 250 g (8 oz.) pkg. dried figs

3/4 cup sugar, white or brown
3/4 cup orange juice or water

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a small saucepan, combine the figs, sugar and orange juice/water over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick and jamlike. Remove from heat and blend to form a paste. Set aside and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and mix with a fork or your fingers until the mixture is well combined and crumbly. (Alternatively, the mixture can be pulsed in a food processor until well combined.) Press half the crumbs into an 8” x 8” pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Spread the filling over the crust, and sprinkle with remaining crumbs, squeezing as you go to create bigger clumps. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until pale golden and bubbly around the edges. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Makes 16 squares.

Bet you can't each just one!