Dried Fruit Squares Recipes

DRIED-FRUIT BARS

Steps:

• To prepare crust: Combine 3/4 cup nuts (or oats), whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar and salt in a food processor; pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add butter; pulse until well incorporated.
• Whisk egg, oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla and almond extract in a small bowl. With the motor running, add the mixture
• to the food processor. Process, then pulse, scraping down the sides, if necessary, until the mixture begins to clump, 30 to 45 seconds (it will look crumbly). Measure out 1/2 cup of the mixture and combine in a bowl with the remaining 1/4 cup chopped nuts (or oats). Set aside for the topping.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• To prepare fruit filling & assemble bars: Combine 2 cups dried fruit, cider, sugar and cornstarch in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is very thick, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 1/4 cups dried fruit and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• Transfer the dough to the prepared baking dish. Spread evenly and press firmly into the bottom to form a crust. Spread the fruit filling over the crust. Sprinkle the reserved topping over the filling.
• Bake the bars for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake until the crust and topping are lightly brown, 25 to 30 minutes more. Let cool completely before cutting into bars, at least 1 1/2 hours.

GLAZED DRIED FRUIT AND NUT BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir cookie crust ingredients until well blended. Press dough in bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan. Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat orange marmalade to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened. Stir in remaining filling ingredients until well mixed. Spread evenly over cookie crust.
• Bake about 15 minutes longer or until edges are golden brown and filling is set. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 4 rows.

DRIED CRANBERRY FRUIT-NUT BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Mix almond flour, butter, and 1 egg in a bowl until well combined. Press into the bottom of an 8-inch square pan.
• Stir chocolate chips, walnuts, cranberries, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds together in a large bowl. Cover the almond dough with this mixture.
• Mix cream and remaining egg thoroughly in a small bowl; pour evenly over the fruit-nut mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature, 30 to 45 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours before cutting into 16 bars.

DRIED-FRUIT-AND-NUT HEALTH BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place dates in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a simmer. Drain reserving cooking water. Puree dates in a food processor with honey and 1/4 cup reserved cooking water until smooth.
• Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. Mix oats or quinoa flakes, nuts, papaya, cherries, blueberries, bran, flaxseed, wheat germ, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix in date puree. The mixture should be moist enough to hold together. If necessary, add up to 1/2 cup more cooking water. Press mixture into pan.
• Bake until center is firm and edges are golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 bars.

FLAVORFUL DRIED FRUIT BARS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine water, dates, plums and raisins. Cook over medium heat until fruit is softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in butter until melted. Cool. Stir in egg substitute and vanilla. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients; stir in fruit mixture. , Spread into an 11x7-in. baking pan that has been coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

CANDIED-FRUIT SQUARES

Steps:

• Once the flour is incorporated according to dough recipe, beat in citron and cherries. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Shape each into a 10-inch-long square-shaped log. Wrap in parchment. Refrigerate until very firm, about 2 hours.
• Slice dough crosswise slightly thicker than 1/8 inch. Reshape if needed. Bake at 350 degrees on parchment-lined baking sheets until firm, 12 to 14 minutes.