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These fig crumble bars are loaded with a super simple homemade fig jam and layers of buttery crumble dough. The natural pectin in figs makes for an quick 3 ingredient jam in under an hour. Perfect for making if you’ve got an abundance of fresh figs or a jar of fig jam sitting around in your pantry. This recipe can make anywhere from 9-12 bars, depending how you slice them. 

A fig bar on a white counter.

Fig season has always been kind of a big deal in my family. Growing up in Morocco, it’s a fruit my dad craved and missed deeply when he moved to the states. That’s why he decided to plant a fig tree in our backyard, which I’ve now inherited as my own giving tree.

Every August our backyard is filled with a production of fruit that’s generous enough to feed our family, neighbors and friends.

We’ve been getting pretty creative with our fig recipes, making fig and goat cheese pizzas, proper canned fig jam, and even fig leaf syrup. These crumbly buttery fig bars are our new favorite recipe from this summer.

It’s an easy and delicious way to use a daily harvest of figs, without too many ingredients or complicated steps. If you’re unable to find fresh figs, I’ve also tested this recipe using store bought fig jam, and it comes out great either way.

Step by Step Instructions

Sliced figs and sugar in a pan.
Make the fig jam by cooking chopped figs with sugar and lemon juice. Once the sugar dissolves, add water.
Fig jam being mashed in a pan.
Continue to cook down the figs on low until a jammy consistency forms, mashing if desired.
Crumble bar dough in a stand mixer.
Cream the butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest together before mixing in the flour to form a crumbly dough.
Buttery fig bars before being baked.
Assemble 3/4 of the dough as the base of the bars, top with the cooled jam, then crumble on the remaining dough.
Buttery fig bars in a baking dish.
Bake at 350°F in a parchment lined dish until golden brown on top, about 45 minutes.
Sliced buttery fig bars.
Cool completely, overnight in the fridge if possilble before slicing.
Sliced fig bars in a stack.

Perfecting a Quick Fig Jam

As most fig lovers know, much of the magic of the fruit is in the texture.

Over the years I’ve learned that the best figs for eating are super soft and almost mushy.

For making fig jam, we’re looking for figs that are ripe – but not mushy. We want soft, but not too soft where they’re splitting at the bottoms.

These figs result in a naturally sweet jam that contains natural pectin, helping achieve that jammy texture without needing to add any special ingredients.

More Fruit Forward Sweets

Buttery Guava Crumble Bars

Meskouta (Moroccan Orange Bundt Cake)

Date Syrup (1 Ingredient)

Silky Panna Cotta with Coconut Milk 
Sliced fig bars in a stack.

Enjoy,

Salima written in cursive
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A fig bar on a white counter.

Buttery Fig Crumble Bars (with Fresh Figs)

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  • Author: Salima Benkhalti
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Yield: 9 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian
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Description

These fig crumble bars are loaded with a super simple homemade fig jam and layers of buttery crumble dough. The natural pectin in figs makes for an quick 3 ingredient jam in under an hour. Perfect for making if you’ve got an abundance of fresh figs or a jar of fig jam sitting around in your pantry. This recipe can make anywhere from 9-12 bars, depending how you slice them. 

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Homemade Fig Spread: (skip if using store bought fig jam)

  • 4 cups (about 2lbs) fresh figs, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup water

For the Bars:

  • 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup fig spread (can be store bought or homemade with ingredients above)

Instructions

  1. Make the fig spread (skip this step if using store bought): Combine chopped figs, sugar and lemon juice in a pot over medium heat. Stir for a few minutes while figs break down. Once the sugar dissolves, lower the heat and add the water, simmering on medium low, mashing every so often until the fruit is broken down into a jammy spread (about 30 minutes). Set aside to cool.
  2. Prep oven and baking dish: Preheat oven to 350°F and line a square baking dish with parchment paper and/or grease with nonstick spray or butter.
  3. Make the crumble mixture: Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest together in a stand mixer*. Add flour and continue to beat until incorporated, it should be a crumbly dough.
  4. Form the bars: Press 3/4 of the dough into the base of the prepared baking dish until a compact layer forms. Spread the cooled fig jam over the dough in an even layer. Crumble remaining dough over top.
  5. Bake, cool and slice: Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the top layer turns light golden in color. Chill in the fridge overnight for firm bars or at room temperature until cool (at least 1 hour) for softer bars. Slice and enjoy!

Notes

* This can also be done with a bowl and spatula or hand mixer

Enjoy this recipe?

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