Throughout my entire educational career, I never bought lunch at school. Not one single time. The long lines and terse hairnet-clad ladies terrified me—what if they counted out my change so slowly that I ran out of time to chow down on my slice of pizza before the end-of-recess bell rang? I felt much safer with my insulated purple lunch pail tucked neatly inside my backpack instead, so Dad always prepared my noon meal the night before.
For every lunch, he tucked a little treat inside as a reward for eating all of my apple slices. Since mom rarely baked homemade cookies, she bought Little Debbie desserts for us at the store. Depending on the week, she switched between Swiss Rolls, Chocolate Cupcakes, Oatmeal Creme Pies, and Holiday-Themed Cakes. Although indecisive from a very early age, the latter were my favorite. (I think… Well, I suppose it varied every few days!)
Whenever I pulled out the plastic-wrapped treats at the school picnic table, my friends clamored to search their lunch bags to find something to trade. Despite their alluring display of big brownies, candy bars, and soft sugar cookies, I rarely forfeited the rights to my Little Debbie desserts. They tasted too good!
But in middle school, I realized that exchanging those packaged treats for healthier granola bars would help me lose my last bit of baby fat. Although difficult at first, I learned to love the nutritious snacks instead. But I still grow nostalgic when passing by Little Debbie desserts in the grocery store, and I always crave something sweet after every meal!
These Chocolate Fig Squares are the perfect compromise. Each lightly sweetened bar exudes decadent chocolate flavor while actually hiding over 4 grams of protein. Speckled with oats and fruity bites of juicy dried figs, they’re a low fat snack you’ll feel good about eating—or sharing with your kids!
This recipe contains only wholesome, clean-eating ingredients. I started with a base of whole wheat flour and instant oats, which provide a subtle nuttiness. When baking 100% whole wheat goods, I exclusively choose Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flour. While other brands produce dense and dry treats, Gold Medal keeps my baked goodies light and moist. And if you don’t have instant oats, you can easily make your own. Just pulse regular old-fashioned oats in a food processor 5-7 times until they turn a little finer—that’s all there is to it!
The chocolate flavor comes from unsweetened cocoa powder and chocolate protein powder. Most grocery stores carry protein powders; I opted for Designer Whey, which I found at Trader Joe’s. You can use any protein powder you like, including soy or brown rice. (The Nutrition Information may change accordingly.)
These skinny snacks contain no refined sugar. Instead, the sweetness comes from applesauce and honey—and dried figs! I always enjoy Trader Joe’s dried black mission figs, and after I spotted a few left over from my Fruitcake Cookies, I immediately set them aside for this recipe. I diced them fairly small, which added a slight chewiness and kept the bars extra moist. A smaller dice also helps when slicing the pan into squares; it reduces the number of big chunks you have to drag the knife through!
When baking these chocolate treats, only let them sit in the oven for 15-18 minutes—no more! The hot pan continues to cook the squares as they cool, so baking them in the oven for more than 18 minutes results in dry, overdone snacks. Not good! The center of the pan will still look slightly wet when you pull it out; that’s okay. By the time it reaches room temperature, it’ll be baked through perfectly!
Little flecks of hearty oats speckle the surface of these Chocolate Fig Squares, and sweet bits of chewy dried fruit stud the interior. Each wholesome bar is packed with protein, but with the rich chocolaty flavor shining through, you’d never guess they were barely 70 calories!
After slicing the squares and setting them on the counter, I reached for one after lunch… And another after dinner… And a third the following morning with breakfast. I just couldn’t stop! They’re the perfect quick and easy snack to stash in the pantry for hungry kids after school. (Or hungry parents too!)
With how rapidly I ran through this batch, I may need to buy another bag of dried figs before the week ends…
These wholesome snack bars remind me of a healthy version of brownies. The dried figs add the perfect touch of natural sweetness, and the squares taste extra chocolaty from cocoa powder and chocolate protein powder. Store them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F, and lightly coat an 8”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats and next 6 ingredients (through salt). In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, applesauce, and honey. Add the oat mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the figs.
- Spread the chocolate mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 300°F for 15-18 minutes. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan before slicing into squares.
Is it okay to use fresh figs in this recipe or any of your other fig recipes? Thanks , Katie
Fresh figs would definitely work in these chocolate squares Katie! They’d probably work in my Fig Newton Cupcakes too, if you skipped the water in creating the filling. I wouldn’t recommend using them in my Chocolate Fig Energy Bites though; fresh contain much more moisture compared to dried and would most likely make the oats mushy. It sounds like you must have plenty of fresh figs — I’m jealous! They’re one of my favorite fruits, but we haven’t had very many good ones in our local grocery stores.
I just made these and they are AMAZING! Accidentally added additional quarter cup applesauce, which seemed to actually be a good thing. Also added two tablespoons chia seeds and a quarter cup dark chocolate chips. I had to hide them from my husband and son, they are that good!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Karen! That’s a huge compliment if you had to hide them. I’ve definitely done my fair share of that before! 😉
I find it so entertaining to read about your little Debbie love affair. I find haven’t had one in over 20 years years but they are one of the highlights of my childhood (that sounds sad.) The Nutty Buddies were my favorite with the holiday variety a close second.
That doesn’t sound sad at all Collette! They were one of my childhood highlights too. We loved both of those flavors at our house!
Amy, We love your recipes. Tried the Chocolate fig squares today, hubby’s not sharing, so guess another secret batch may have to be assembled! Thanks ever so, keep them coming, you are keeping my sweet tooth in a healthier state that it would be without you!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes Kath! That’s quite a compliment if your hubby doesn’t want to share — thank you! I usually set aside a “secret” few whenever I bake cookies, so I can relate. 🙂
Hi,Amy
Thank you for your sharing. If i only have protein powder, should i still put 2 scoops ? Should i add more cocoa powder ?
Many thanks,
sisi
I’m not sure that I understand your question Sisi. Are you asking if you can replace some of the oats or flour with protein powder or cocoa powder?
Can i use any other protein powder for replace chocolate protein powder? Use same amount protein powder and no need to add more cocoa powder?
You can substitute another whey-based protein powder, but do not substitute a plant-based protein powder. The squares will turn out much too dry. I hope you enjoy them Sisi!
thank you so much. i try the honey cupcake today, very special. many thanks.(≧∇≦)
My pleasure Sisi! So glad you enjoyed it!
These were perfect!! I am going to mess around with them by adding dark chocolate chips or decreasing the honey, but they were a perfect mid-afternoon chocolate fix!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these, Dona! That’s the best compliment there is, if you thought they were perfect. Thank you for taking the time to let me know — it truly means a lot! 🙂
As a big dark chocolate fan, I love the sound of adding dark chocolate chips… I just might have to borrow your idea! 😉 If you’d like to decrease the honey, then I’d recommend adding an equal amount of milk (any type!) to maintain a similar batter consistency and bar texture. (For example, if you decrease the honey by 1 tablespoon, then add 1 tablespoon of milk.) I’d love to hear how either of those modifications turn out when you experiment with them — or even both!