and the secret ingredient is....

Last year when sister Janet and I were in Australia, I discovered these yummy eats – the original vendor in Manly called them figgy seed bars.  https://travelwithmysis.blogspot.ca/2017/03/arrowtown.html
I was in love with them! We later went to New Zealand and visited Janet’s friend’s brother whose wife made ‘Sticky Seed Flapjacks’ from a recipe book she had. They were close to the Manly bars but something was missing and when I told her I liked to hack recipes, she offered me hers as a starter.
Apparently Birdseed Bars are a thing in NZ because in one of our lodgings (they all had several cookbooks, Jamie Oliver being most popular!), I found another recipe by Angela Langbein - she's sometimes on PBS TV here - which I unabashedly copied.

Back at home in Thunder Bay, I began experimenting.

Spoiler Alert – these are not a cheap, quick snack but they are well worth the effort. I made them several times over the summer, getting progressively closer but something was still missing.

date/fig mix

When I was out in Vancouver last October visiting other sister, Marnie, I found a homemade style granola bar at Meinhardt on Granville Street – they call it their ‘Grind’ bar (why, I don’t know) – it was quite different and not exactly my favourite thing but there was just something about it that triggered the missing component for me – theirs did have an ingredient list and there it was, staring me in the face – molasses!
After many batches and trials, here’s my last version:
Figgy Nutbars

nut mix

 
1 1/2 C chopped pitted dates
1 1/2 C chopped figs
1 C cashews
1 C hazelnuts or almonds
2 Tbsp molasses
3 1/2 C old fashioned oats
1 C pumpkin seeds
1/2 C sunflower seeds
2Tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp sea salt
water - see below for amounts.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Roast nuts for 10 minutes.
Line half sheet tray (12” X 8”) with parchment.
Place chopped dates and figs in pot with 2 C water. Bring to a boil and simmer to soften. Take off heat and allow to cool slightly. Put into food processor (should now be about 4 cups). Add the molasses. Whiz/pulse 2-3 times – I like it chunky, so you still know there are dates and figs. Remove to large mixing bowl.
Put roasted nuts in processor bowl (no need to clean in between) with 3/4 C water and blitz till smooth. Add to date mixture.
In same processor bowl, put oats and salt and pulse about 1 minute to rough chop. Add 1/2 C pumpkin seeds, 1/4 C sunflower seeds and 1 Tbsp chia seeds and pulse for another 15 seconds. Add to date/nut mixture. Stir/mix by hand thoroughly.


oats mix
 

Spread mixture in sheet tray to 1.5/2 cm. Leave top rough/unsmooth. Sprinkle the remaining pumpkin, chia and sunflower seeds over. Put a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper over and press down all over to set them into the mixture.
Bake for 35 minutes.
Cool for 1 hour before cutting into bars.
Notes: not all figs are created equal, same for dates. Black Mission figs have much more flavour as well as darker colour, but are harder to come by and of course, more expensive. Next best in my opinion are Smyrna dates and quite acceptable. Medjool dates are the superior choice, but Deglet Noor dates certainly good enough here. I usually go to the bulk store for these and the nuts.
One of the biggest things I noticed was the difference in taste between raw and roasted nuts. Some people go with raw because health-wise, they are supposed to be better for you, but taste-wise roasting brings out so much of any nut. Also, very important, nuts and seeds need to be fresh and buy unsalted - I store mine in the freezer. Because of the high fat content, they can go rancid quickly. Unless you're using them every day and purchasing fresh each week, freezing is the best option. Vary the nuts - I've used pecans and almonds instead and you have to have a very discerning palate to tell the difference. Here's a quick hack - instead of the nuts, substitute almond butter (2 C for the nuts and water). I haven't tried it with peanut butter but that's another possibility. These make great snacks and I always take them with me when road tripping or air travelling and for sure when out hiking for more than an hour or two. Because there are no eggs or anything to go bad, I think they are safe without refrigeration for a couple of days but don't tell the FDA I said that!