Raspberry Fig Bars

Filling:

½ cup dried figs (a very full half-cup, i.e., ok for your half-cup to runneth over...)

6 ounces fresh raspberries 

3 dates (pitted)

½ cup water

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon lemon zest

½ Tablespoon coconut sugar (or LESS...taste what you have before adding it in!!)

Dough:

1¼ cups almond flour

¾ cup cassava flour

1 egg

¼ cup coconut oil, soft

¼ cup coconut milk (full fat)

¼ cup coconut sugar

¼ teaspoon lemon extract

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

In a small saucepan: simmer the figs, raspberries and dates with water until soft and the raspberries have broken up a bit. Once cool, pour into a food processor. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and pulse until combined. Try a bit and then add the coconut sugar to taste...you may not need the full ½ tablespoon. Once it's to your liking, set it aside.

In a mixing bowl: combine the flours, sugar, salt and baking powder and mix with a fork. Add the soft coconut oil to the dry mixture and work it in with your hands until texture resembles coarse sand. In a separate bowl, combine and mix the egg, coconut milk and lemon extract and stir into the dry ingredient/oil mixture to create a dough. Work the dough into a ball and divide it in half.

 Now you can heat your oven to 350° while you get to work on assembly. In a square brownie pan (usually 8.5" x 8.5" or 9" x 9" inch), take half of the dough and spread it out to create an even bottom bar layer. It often helps to use a piece of plastic wrap in this process to prevent the dough from sticking to your fingers and to help ease the dough into place (but remove the wrap before it's oven-bound!)

Bake at 350° for 6-7 minutes and then remove to cool. Now get the raspberry fig mixture and spread it on top. If you think it's too much (depends on your pan size) then just don't use all of it. After the middle is in place, take the other half of your dough ball and crumble it up into pieces over the fruit mixture. Use your fingers to press it down. 

Once it's all together, back in the oven it goes (350°) for another 15-17 minutes.