You know what is easier than writing a blog post about making these crunchy, chewy fig treats? Only one thing – making them.
Alright I suppose that technically NOT making them or writing a blog post about them would be easier. No need to be a spoilsport.
First, buy dried figs and dessicated coconut. Those are the only two ingredients, which is more than you can say for most snacks. Next, throw the figs into a food processor. Make sure to take out any stems – I didn’t do this the first time, not realising that ‘ready to eat’ actually meant ‘not really ready to eat until you’ve gone through and removed any stems’, and while it doesn’t stop you enjoying the snacks it is a bit of a pain – like watermelon seeds are, you know? If you’re home alone, especially home alone in a house with a porch, rocking chair and back garden, you could just spit them out, giving yourself points for distance, but otherwise I’d suggest just taking them out of the equation altogether.
Process the figs until you get a thick, sticky paste, like this:
Appetising, no?
OK, no – net YET. In fact it looks a little like a Golgothan. But we won’t talk about that.
Next, sprinkle a surface with coconut – you can toast the coconut if you prefer, though it does add an extra step. Scoop the fig paste into small portions; if you have a tiny scoop, great. If not, get all lo-fi and just use your hands. Roll the paste into a ball, then roll in the coconut to cover. You’re done!
Before you know it you’ll have rows of the beauties, like this:
Now wash your hands, cos they’ll be covered in fig paste.
I dare say you could add to these – some dates in with the figs might be good, or a splash of vanilla extract, or what about a big spoonful of cocoa powder? The fruit is naturally very sweet, and they have a great crackly texture from the seeds that is really satisfying, though you do run the risk of finding them in your teeth hours later. This is a snack that keeps on giving… They are chewy and a bit fudgey at room temperature – I stored some of mine that way for a week and they were still good. I figured, dried figs don’t need to be refrigerated, they should still be fine after they’re processed, right? If you’re not sure, or prefer a firmer texture, you can always keep them in the fridge.
It seems to me that these would be a good stand-by snack, and they’re probably pretty ace for an energy boost what with the natural sugar in the figs. They also count towards your five a day – two dried figs is one portion, so depending what size you make the treats you only need one or two to count towards your optimum fruit and veg intake.
These treats are raw, free from the most common allergens (nut, wheat, dairy, soy and egg, to name but five), contain only natural ingredients, are vegan friendly and take less than ten minutes to make. What are you waiting for?
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I decided for this post I would make my first soup of the colder seasons and I instantly thought about my current favourite vegetable, the celeriac. It is really quite an ugly looking thing but it tastes delicious, especially when roasted it tastes just like a parsnip! The other great thing about celeriac is that they are very low fat, low calories and low carb (unlike potatoes) and it is high in Iron and Vitamin C.
