If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know that I am on an epic search for the perfect homemade fruit-filled bar. You can read about my past experiments in Fruit-Filled Mini Cereal Bars and Fruit-Filled Mini Cereal Bars, Revisted. They were both good attempts, but I always felt they weren’t quite there yet. I think this latest attempt is pretty close to what I’ve been envisioning in a fruit bar. These are an adaptation of a recipe from Weelicious: Homemade Fig Bars. I’ve replaced the fig filling with the fruit and date filling that I created in my original post on mini cereal bars. It really worked out well, and the kids scorfed them down in no time. Cole has been hounding me to make them again because he liked them so much. They are perfect for packing in lunches, or for an after-school snack that is sure to be a hit.

Homemade Fruit Bars
Adapted from Weelicious: Homemade Fig Bars

Filling:
3/4 cup dates
3/4 cup blueberries
3/4 cup strawberries
1/3 cup water or juice

Dough:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp ground flax seed

In a saucepan on medium-high heat, simmer the filling ingredients until the fruit is soft. Blend until smooth and thick with an immersion blender.

Preheat oven to 350F. Beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in the flour and mix until it forms dough. Divide the dough into two sections. Roll each section of the dough on a well-floured surface, or between 2 sheets of parchment paper, and form them into rectangles that are about 12 x 4 inches. Spread the fruit filling down the length of one side of the dough, leaving a 1/4 to 1/2 inch border. Fold the dough over to close in the filling and gently seal the edges by pressing with your fingers. Cut into 10 squares for each log. Transfer squares onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden around the edges.  

Now, I just have to share another belly pic. I’m in the 2nd trimester, and I’m finally really beginning to enjoy being pregnant again. I’m feeling the baby move, my baby bump is now noticeable, and best of all I’m not feeling sick anymore. Life is good!

18 weeks