One of my all-time favorite fruits are figs — I even have a Pinterest collection called “Getting Figgy with It” — so seeing they are in season, I decided to make Almond Figgy Bars. Very buttery, with sticky fig jam and sliced figs and a barely noticeable bit of cinnamon. First of my autumn styled treats.
Ingredients
for the crust and topping
1 cup plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to just warm
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg yolks
3 cups plus 3 tablespoons flour
for the filling
1 cup fig jam
3/4 fresh figs, sliced
Directions
Create a foil or parchment sling for your 9 x 13 inch baking dish or spray generously with baking spray.
In a medium bowl, mix together butter, sugar, salt, and egg yolks with a spoon until smooth. Add in the flour and cardamom, and mix until just combined. Remove 2 cups of the crust mixture and press into the lined pan. Set the unused portion of the crust aside covered with plastic wrap, but not in the refrigerator. Place the pan in the freezer for 30-60 minutes or so; the chilling of the crust prevents it from expanding and rising too much during baking.
Preheat oven to 325F.
Remove the crust from the freezer and place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes, or until the sides are lightly browned. Then remove from the oven, and increase oven temperature to 350F. Spread the fig jam on top, lay out the fig slices in a single layer on top of the jam, and sprinkle the left over crust mixture on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the streusel is lightly browned.
Allow the pan to cool completely before taking the bars out of the pan. Remove the bars by lifting out with the sling and cut.
