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Healthier Date Fig Newton Bars (paleo, nut free)

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If there’s one thing I love more than dessert, it’s snacks. If I’m being honest, snacking is the main reason I love long road trips, it’s basically unbridled snacking for hours on end. And my newest snacktastic creation is not only a delicious snack, it’s pretty much the perfect sweet solution for any time hunger may strike. These Healthier Date Fig Newton Bars are great for a quick fruity breakfast on-the-go, hot beverage accompaniment, afternoon sugar craving crusher, or the perfect way to end a meal on a sweet note!

I used to love the original fig newtons and get so excited whenever our mom would come home with a fresh package. Unfortunately, they are not gluten free so I have not had the pleasure of enjoying them in a fair while. Which is fine because, while my bars are made with only whole foods, the originals are made with mostly refined ingredients. I actually already have a Healthier Homemade Fig Newton recipe on my site more similar to the original cookie shape, but wanted to create a simpler bar version that was nut free and incorporated a different fruit flavor. And the resulting Date Fig Newton Bars are just all kinds of delicious. The bars have a soft and chewy cookie crust and are filled with a thick layer of a magical date and fig filling. To take this to the next level, I added a touch of cardamom to the filling and it really elevates the whole bar with a wonderful warmth, making them just perfect for fall or chilly days. While these are amazing warm and fresh out of the oven, they are somehow even better the next day when left at room temperature, the crust softens just a bit and the flavors of the filling deepen.

How Are They Made?

The thing about fig bars, is that the filling needs to be blended. To do this, we first soak a mixture of chopped figs and dates. Then, strain the water, add a lemon juice, cardamom (which is optional), and a bit of salt and blend it into a thick paste. Now, usually, I’d avoid having to break out the food processor (aka more dirty dishes) like the plague. But, I have convinced myself that it is worth it if I it accomplishes multiple tasks for one recipe. For example, I always break it out when I’m making my WF Copycat Chicken Tortilla Soup because I can easily dice everything in 30 seconds rather than spending several minutes dicing a bunch of veggies. So, since the filling needs to be blended, I devised a way to prepare the crust in the food processor as well, making it totally worth the extra minute of so standing at the sink.

Once the crust dough is made, half is pressed into a square baking dish (my favorite 8 inch), the blended filling is spread out over the bottom crust, the remaining dough is scattered over the filling and that’s it! Into the oven it goes. Below you’ll see the basic steps. I weighed the total amount of dough so I could place exactly half in the baking dish to create the bottom crust. This is very helpful if you, like me, have a hard time eyeballing quantities and ensures that the top and bottom crust with be even. Then the filling (here it’s shown before it’s blended) is placed onto the crust.

Speaking of weighing, starting with this one, I’m going include weighed measures for (hopefully) all my new recipes. Weighing ingredients is a slightly more precise method of baking and ensures consistency in the outcome of the baked good. Most measuring cups and spoons are not standardized and the way a cup is filled can drastically alter the volume used in the recipe. And, when using a recipe with weight measurements rather than volume, I find I actually use less dishes because there’s no need for all the various measures. I purchased a new kitchen scale almost a year ago and, if you’re looking to jump on the weighing bandwagon, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s a little more expensive than others ($25 at time of writing), but I find it’s well worth the money. It’s extremely accurate, very responsive, and it stays on for 5 minutes before shutting off. (Which is very helpful if you often find yourself walking away from the kitchen mid-measure to go grab another bag of chocolate chips or change a load of laundry so you do not have to start your measuring all over).

Anyways, back to these delicious bars! They are made with only 10 (including the salt!) simple whole ingredients – no refined flours, sugars, or oils. These are paleo-friendly meaning they are gluten, grain, and dairy free. The cookie base is made with cassava flour making these nut free as well. And as the filling is made with dried fruit (nature’s candy) there is no need to add any additional sweetener! The simple ingredients really allow the flavors of the fruit to shine in all their natural glory. And that is exactly what bars like these should be about! Basically, these bars are just so good you’ll always find a good time to reach for one.

paleo friendly (gluten/grain/dairy free), nut free, refined sugar free

If you make this recipe, please leave a review or rating down below to help share your healthier baking results with others! And I’d LOVE to see your creation! Please tag me on Instagram @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna.

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Healthier Date Fig Newton Bars

These Date Fig Newton Bars are the answer to every snackable question. They are quick and easy to make, made with only good-for-you ingredients, and perfect for any time of day! A delicious soft cookie-like crust filled with a simple but delicious date and fig mixture.

paleo (gluten/grain/dairy free), nut free, refined sugar free

Ingredients

Date Filling

  • 2 cups chopped dates, packed (12 oz) seeds and stems removed (ideally a soft date such as medjool)
  • 1 cup chopped figs, packed (6 oz) stems removed
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (43 grams)
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom (1 gram) optional
  • dash sea salt

Crust Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup cassava flour (208 grams)
  • 1 cup coconut sugar (168 grams)
  • 2 tsp baking powder (10 grams)
  • 1/4 tsp salt (1 gram)
  • 6 tbsp coconut oil (84 grams) room temp (chilled in fridge a few minutes if liquid)
  • 2 eggs

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 360 degrees and prepare an 8 or 9 inch square pan by lining with parchment paper.

  2. Place the chopped dates and figs in a heat-safe bowl and carefully pour boiling hot water over the fruit until fully covered. Let soak for 10 minutes.

  3. Meanwhile, prepare the crust. Place the cassava, coconut sugar, baking powder, and salt in the food processor and blend until everything is fully incorporated.

  4. Add the coconut oil and eggs to the flour and blend, using short pulses (about 10-12), until a soft dough forms. It may be a little clumpy which is fine, it should at least stick well when pressed together. Pour the dough out of the food processor into a small bowl and quickly wipe down the interior of the food processor.

  5. Drain the water from the re-hydrated fruit and place the fruit in the food processor along with the lemon juice, cardamom (if using), and a dash of sea salt. Blend together until a thick paste forms.

  6. Place half of the crust mixture into the prepared baking dish. Weighing the dough to determine half the amount can be helpful. Press the dough down firmly into the dish and use a rubber spatula or a piece of parchment paper to create an even layer.

  7. Place the fruit filling over the bottom crust layer and spread out to edges of the pan.

  8. Sprinkle the remaining crust dough over the filling trying cover the filling layer as much as possible. Gently pat the dough down with a rubber spatula or the parchment paper to smooth any jagged edges of dough.

  9. Bake in the oven for 26-28 minutes or until the top is golden.

  10. Let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before removing and slicing!

Recipe Notes

These bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or so. Store leftovers in the fridge for a few days or the freezer for longer storage!

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Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes (paleo)

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One of my favorite things about dessert is how incredibly personal it is. While I think that Chocolate Chip Cookies are the most perfect dessert, someone else may think I’m completely wrong and say that Cheesecake is the ultimate treat. And, on the flip side, I have never liked cake. As a kid, for my birthday, my mom would always buy a super cool themed ice cream cake, because it’s a kid birthday party and the other kids all expected cake. So I would just eat the ice cream layer and leave the cake parts behind. Even today, if you ask me my ideal birthday cake, it would be a cake-shaped cookie. But, there’s no going around it, cake is the quintessential dessert for a celebration. And to celebrate my best friend’s birthday this month, I set out to make her perfect birthday dessert, and created these healthified Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes. And I have to say, this cake is just so good, that even I, the cake-hater, have fallen deeply in love.

To be fair, the reason I probably love this cake is because it’s more reminiscent of an airy but still super moist brownie, and less like a standard cake texture. The cupcake is deeply chocolatey from the cocoa powder, has a satisfying chewy exterior, and soft interior. The peanut butter filling is the perfect counterpart to the balanced sweetness of the chocolate cupcake. The filling is thick and creamy, and really, PB & chocolate is always a winning combo. But, that being said, if peanut butter isn’t your thing, or you want to keep these paleo, simply use any nut/seed butter that strikes your fancy. Almond butter is always a good substitute, but I also think cashew butter would be incredible in these as well. And then, because what would a cupcake be if not for the top action, we add frosting. I went with a pre-made frosting because sometimes you just don’t feel like messing around with making another component for a single recipe. I used Simple Mills vegan frosting and it’s a very solid choice in the “healthier” frosting category.

This recipe is simple enough to make and made easier with a few extra tools. The cupcake batter comes together in a breeze, has only 8 ingredients, and bakes up in just 20 minutes. After the cupcakes cool, I create a well in each using the handle of a fork (or any utensil). The peanut butter filling is made with just 4 ingredients and then piped into the cupcakes wells. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a small spoon to fill the cupcakes; although this would take some extra time and a good amount of patience. Or, simply fill a large plastic bag with the filling, cut the tip off one of the lower corner and use as a makeshift piping bag! The frosting can then either be piped on top or just spread on with a knife! I purchased this cake decorating set a little while ago and I have to say, as a newbie cake decorator, I’m very satisfied with the quality and the plethora of tools that comes with it.

The best part of these cupcakes is that they are better-for-you than your typical cupcake recipe. They are made with no refined flours, oils, or sugars. They are paleo-possible if you substitute the peanut butter for a paleo compliant nut/seed butter. They are grain free, gluten free, and dairy free. And of course, still taste amazing! My husband, who prefers the full sugar, white flour version of everything actually thought they were made as such! And if that’s not a full endorsement to how delicious these cupcakes actually are, well, I just don’t know what is.paleo friendly (gluten/grain/dairy free), refined sugar free

If you make this recipe, please feel free to leave a review or rating down below. And I’d LOVE to see your creation! Please tag me on Instagram @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna.

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Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

The classic combination of PB & chocolate in a cupcake! It's a super moist and fudgy cupcake, similar to a brownie, stuffed with a simple peanut butter filling and topped with frosting. These are made better for you with no refined sugars, oils, or flours!

gluten free, grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free

Course Dessert
Servings 8 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcake Batter

Dry Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup almond flour, packed
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder unsweetened
  • 1/4 cup tapioca powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil melted and cooled
  • 2 eggs large
  • 1 tsp vanilla

PB Filling

  • 5 tbsp peanut butter or other nut/seed butter
  • 4 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp tapioca powder
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil melted

Frosting of Choice

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and prepare muffin tin by greasing 8 wells with oil or lining with muffin liners.

  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until fully incorporated and no lumps remain, set aside.

  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large bowl if mixing by hand, beat together the wet ingredients until thick and frothy.

  4. Add in the dry ingredients and stir until just fully incorporated, ensuring not to overmix.

  5. Using a large cookie scoop, distribute the batter evenly into 8 wells.

  6. Bake in the center of the oven for 19-21 minutes or until edges are turning a slightly darker color and top is set and slightly puffed.

  7. Let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin before removing and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 20 more minutes.

  8. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the peanut butter filling by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl until thick and smooth.

  9. Once cupcakes are cool, use the handle of a fork or knife and gently press down in the center of each cupcake and press outwards to form a 1 inch wide well. The wider and deeper the well, the more peanut butter will fit inside. Just be sure to leave a far border at the bottom of the cupcake. Place the filling in a frosting bag or use a plastic bag with the lower corner cut off to fill each cupcake well with filling.

  10. Once all cupcakes are filled, top each cupcake with frosting of your choice. Keep at room temperature until ready to serve!

Recipe Notes

Feel free to use any nut/seed butter you like. Almond or cashew are great options to keep this paleo-friendly. 

For the frosting I used Simple Mills Vegan Chocolate Frosting. 

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Red, White, & Blue Stuffed Cookies (grain free, dairy free)

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It’s the first day of July which mean it’s almost July 4th! Time to start busting out the grill tools, getting the sunscreen ready, and planning out your festive Independence Day desserts. And while I love a good fruit flag cake as much as the next person, these seemingly plain red sugar cookies are next level festive. These Red, White, and Blue Stuffed Cookies are the perfect healthified treat for the occasion and colored naturally without any food dyes! Which is a rare find during this holiday when red, white, and blue baked goods are key!

These cookies are grain free and dairy free and can easily be made paleo by subbing the cane sugar for coconut sugar and skipping the sugar dusting. While coconut sugar is usually my go-to sweetener when baking paleo cookies, I use organic cane sugar here to ensure a good vibrant red color and for a fun white sparkly exterior. The red sugar cookie is colored with beetroot powder. The interior is stuffed with a lusciously creamy cashew butter filling (but any nut/seed butter will work) and the blue center is colored with blue spirulina (but butterfly pea powder will work too).
The end result is a super soft and chewy cookie with a delightful crunch from the rolled sugar. Inside is a glorious cashew butter filling surprise that’s just lightly sweetened with maple syrup that complements the cookie exterior. And although these are spiked with various superfood powders, you’d never guess from the taste! They are straight up tasty. These have less sugar than your average sugar cookie and made with better-for-you ingredients, but absolutely delicious. And I’d be willing to bet these will disappear as quickly as a lit firework. 

paleo-possible (gluten/grain/dairy free)

If you make this recipe, please feel free to leave a review or rating down below. And I’d LOVE to see your creation! Please tag me on Instagram @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna.

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Red, White, & Blue Stuffed Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies with a festive twist! A soft and chewy red sugar cookie stuffed with a luscious white and blue cashew butter (or other light nut butter of choice) filling! These cookies are grain free, gluten, and dairy free and easily made paleo-friendly.

grain free, dairy free, paleo-option

Servings 12 cookies

Ingredients

White & Blue Filling

  • 1/2 cup cashew butter or other nut/seed butter of your choice
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp tapioca flour
  • 1/2 tsp blue spirulina

Sugar Cookie

Wet Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup cane sugar or coconut sugar
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil melted & cooled
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour
  • 3 tbsp beetroot powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp cane sugar for rolling (optional)

Instructions

  1. First make the filling by mixing the cashew butter and maple syrup together in a small bowl. Add 1 tbsp of tapioca flour and mix again. Transfer 1/3 of the mixture to another small bowl and add 1/2 tsp blue spirulina and mix well to form the blue filling. Add 1 additional tsp of tapioca to the larger portion and mix again. The mixture should be soft but pliable, if your nut/seed butter was very thin, you may need to add an additional 1 tsp of tapioca to the white filling.

  2. Scoop out 12 small balls (roughly 1/4 inch) of the blue mixture and place on parchment lined plate or baking sheet. Repeat making 12 larger balls (roughly 1/2 inch) with the white mixture. Pop in the freezer to let firm up for easier handling. Don't worry if the balls are not perfectly round. You can re-roll once they are chilled.

  3. Make the dough by mixing together the wet ingredients either by hand or in a stand mixer. Mix until ingredients are thick and bubbly.

  4. Add in the dry ingredients (except the cane sugar) and mix until a soft dough forms. Place in the fridge to chill for at least 10 minutes.

  5. While the dough is chilling, create the filling balls. Flatten out the white filling balls in the palm of your hand to create a small disc and place the blue ball in the center. Cover the blue ball with the white filling and once completely covered, gently roll it together to form a sphere. Repeat with all remaining balls. If the filling gets too sticky to work with, place back in the freezer to firm for a few minutes.

  6. Once dough has chilled, heat oven to 350 and prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or a silpat.

  7. Start filling the dough by scooping out large 2-3 tbsp balls (I used a 50 mm scoop) and press down into a flat circle (3 in round, 1/4 inch thick) in the palm of your hand.

  8. Place 1 ball of filling in the center of the cookie dough and fold the cookie edges over the white filling. Roll into a ball and place seam down on the baking sheet. Repeat until all cookie batter is gone.

  9. In a medium bowl with the remaining cane sugar roll each dough ball in the cane sugar (skip if strict paleo). Place cookies back on baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.

  10. Flatten the cookie dough balls down with the palm of your hand just slightly. The cookies will not flatten much during baking.

  11. Bake in the oven for 8-9 minutes or until cookies are puffed and just starting to darken on the edges.

  12. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes, then transfer to baking sheet to cool completely.

  13. These are excellent served warm! These will last at room temperature in an airtight container for a day or so. Afterwards, move to freezer for longer storage.

Recipe Notes

  • To make these refined sugar free, use coconut sugar. I used organic cane sugar by Wholesome to ensure the best red color. Coconut sugar tends to darken baked goods. 
  • To get the white and blue filling color use a lighter nut/seed butter like cashew, sun butter, or tahini.
  • The Beetroot powder I used is by MRM. And the blue spirulina is by E3Live which is very good quality but a little pricey. For a cheaper blue option, use Butterfly Pea powder instead. All are available on Amazon. 

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