I walked to a new coffee shop yesterday. The now early morning sun pulled me out of bed and beckoned me into the great urban outdoors.
Walking down Guadalupe in Austin always guarantees some excitement. Cars drive fast. People bike, scoot and walk from store to school to home. There are toy stores, donut shops, storefronts displaying oodles of vintage clothing. And did I mention the cars?
Not exactly tranquil.
But for some reason, I felt compelled to brave the early morning madness. Despite all of those UT students buying large, sweetened cups of coffee to propel them from 8 am until the end of their last class.
The cafe that I happened upon was bright and bustling. The storefront opened out into the busy street. With no need to push open a glass door, I glided in.
And I ordered an expensive but aromatic cup of coffee. Job well done.
But whenever I visit coffee shops, I judge them on a number of criteria. Coffee is important, but there is an array of other factors that make a good cafe, great. One of which is their bakery case.
Some coffee shops tempt me with their perfectly cut brownies, their domed muffins, their vanilla scones that will seemingly melt on my tongue. Other coffee shops leave much to be desired (think saran wrapped bagels).
This cafe's baked goods fell somewhere in the middle, and I couldn't help but be grateful that I had one of my fig bars to supplement what would have been a mediocre morning snack.
Walking down Guadalupe in Austin always guarantees some excitement. Cars drive fast. People bike, scoot and walk from store to school to home. There are toy stores, donut shops, storefronts displaying oodles of vintage clothing. And did I mention the cars?
Not exactly tranquil.
But for some reason, I felt compelled to brave the early morning madness. Despite all of those UT students buying large, sweetened cups of coffee to propel them from 8 am until the end of their last class.
The cafe that I happened upon was bright and bustling. The storefront opened out into the busy street. With no need to push open a glass door, I glided in.
And I ordered an expensive but aromatic cup of coffee. Job well done.
But whenever I visit coffee shops, I judge them on a number of criteria. Coffee is important, but there is an array of other factors that make a good cafe, great. One of which is their bakery case.
Some coffee shops tempt me with their perfectly cut brownies, their domed muffins, their vanilla scones that will seemingly melt on my tongue. Other coffee shops leave much to be desired (think saran wrapped bagels).
This cafe's baked goods fell somewhere in the middle, and I couldn't help but be grateful that I had one of my fig bars to supplement what would have been a mediocre morning snack.
This is not Austin...but it is a walk
These buttery bars remind me of fig newtons. And who doesn't have fond memories of those nutritious lunch time snacks?
But for those seldom few of you with less than stellar memories...these are far better, I promise. So good, in fact, that you might have a hard time eating just one. I know I did.
I looked at several recipes for fig bars, and I settled on this one because of its ease and obvious visual appeal. I'm happy to say that they taste amazing too.
This recipe was adapted from an article in the Washington Post. The author had been looking for a fig bar recipe for 20 years. 20 years! I was a mere 3 years old when her quest first began. So thank you Kim O'Donnel for embarking on such a long and arduous journey... I think you found your holy grail.
But for those seldom few of you with less than stellar memories...these are far better, I promise. So good, in fact, that you might have a hard time eating just one. I know I did.
I looked at several recipes for fig bars, and I settled on this one because of its ease and obvious visual appeal. I'm happy to say that they taste amazing too.
This recipe was adapted from an article in the Washington Post. The author had been looking for a fig bar recipe for 20 years. 20 years! I was a mere 3 years old when her quest first began. So thank you Kim O'Donnel for embarking on such a long and arduous journey... I think you found your holy grail.
Fig Bars
Fig Filling
2 cups dried Mission figs, finely chopped
1 cup orange juice
½ teaspoon grated orange zest (equivalent of one orange)
¼ cup honey
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespooons dark rum
Crust & Streusel:
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to just warm
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large egg yolks
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with foil, allowing ends to create an overhanging edge for easy removal. In a large bowl, stir together melted butter and ¾ cup of the brown sugar until just combined. Stir in egg yolks and salt until smooth. Stir in flour to make a stiff dough
2. Transfer about 2 cups of the dough to the prepared pan (reserving the remaining cup and allowing to chill in fridge). With your hands, press buttery mixture into the bottom of the pan. Prick dough all over with a fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or freeze 5-7 minutes) until dough is firm.
3. Meanwhile, make fig filling. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over high heat with 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer mixture, covered, until tender, up to 30 minutes, adding more water as necessary. When figs are soft, mash into a rough puree using a wooden spoon or potato masher.
4. For the streusel, combine remaining ¼ cup brown sugar with reserved and chilled dough until crumbly. Mixture should hold together when pressed but readily break into small crumbs.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake only the crust for 20 minutes, until it begins to set but is not brown on the edges (center will not be firm yet). Remove from oven and increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. Spread fig filling evenly over hot crust. Crumble streusel over filling.
6. Bake near top of oven, 20-25 minutes, until streusel is golden and set. Allow pan to cool, 1-2 hours. When bottom of pan is cool, carefully lift from pan using overhang and transfer to a cutting board. Slip lining away from bars by lifting with a metal spatula. Cut into 2-inch squares.
Always,
Monet
Anecdotes and Apple Cores
*Find me on Facebook...
*Find me on Twitter...
I'll send you a virtual hug!
Fig Filling
2 cups dried Mission figs, finely chopped
1 cup orange juice
½ teaspoon grated orange zest (equivalent of one orange)
¼ cup honey
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespooons dark rum
Crust & Streusel:
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to just warm
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large egg yolks
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with foil, allowing ends to create an overhanging edge for easy removal. In a large bowl, stir together melted butter and ¾ cup of the brown sugar until just combined. Stir in egg yolks and salt until smooth. Stir in flour to make a stiff dough
2. Transfer about 2 cups of the dough to the prepared pan (reserving the remaining cup and allowing to chill in fridge). With your hands, press buttery mixture into the bottom of the pan. Prick dough all over with a fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or freeze 5-7 minutes) until dough is firm.
3. Meanwhile, make fig filling. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over high heat with 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer mixture, covered, until tender, up to 30 minutes, adding more water as necessary. When figs are soft, mash into a rough puree using a wooden spoon or potato masher.
4. For the streusel, combine remaining ¼ cup brown sugar with reserved and chilled dough until crumbly. Mixture should hold together when pressed but readily break into small crumbs.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake only the crust for 20 minutes, until it begins to set but is not brown on the edges (center will not be firm yet). Remove from oven and increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. Spread fig filling evenly over hot crust. Crumble streusel over filling.
6. Bake near top of oven, 20-25 minutes, until streusel is golden and set. Allow pan to cool, 1-2 hours. When bottom of pan is cool, carefully lift from pan using overhang and transfer to a cutting board. Slip lining away from bars by lifting with a metal spatula. Cut into 2-inch squares.
Always,
Monet
Anecdotes and Apple Cores
*Find me on Facebook...
*Find me on Twitter...
I'll send you a virtual hug!
RSS Feed
