Homemade Prune Bars — A Healthy Prune Dessert Recipe
Homemade Prune Bars! If you like fig newtons, then you will LOVE this version. A lightly sweetened prune dessert recipe, vegan and perfect for kids.
I’m always on the hunt for healthyish treats that I can make for my kids. Now that they are in school and can see what all the other kids get for snack time, I’ve got to up my game to keep them interested and satisfied in what I pack.
If you are looking for a fun prune dessert recipe, these prune bars are it.
Recently, my son’s class started serving fig newtons for a snack at school, and while I don’t have a big problem with those, I knew I could make something more wholesome and nutrient-dense.
These prune newton bars were a huge hit with everyone I shared them with. I brought leftovers to a playdate, and between the moms and the kids– the platter was picked clean.
Prune Bar Ingredient Notes and Prep Tips
Think of these prune bars as a take on fig newtons, but with prunes! For the filling, you’ll cook prunes, apple or white grape juice and a little lemon juice for balance. The apple or grape juice helps provide sweetness to the prune filling without additional added sugar.
For the crust, I’m using whole wheat pastry flour instead of typical all-purpose. Whole wheat pastry flour is better than whole wheat flour in crusts because it’s made from softer wheat with lower protein content. This results in a more tender, flaky crust than a tough, dense one. If you don’t have pastry flour, then I recommend using regular flour instead.
I also use vegan butter to keep these prune bars vegan, but you can use any butter you like. In baking, I almost always use Earth Balance baking sticks, but any brand should work.
For sweetness, I’m adding in brown sugar. I don’t recommend white sugar in place as the brown sugar adds a nice taste the bars along with additional moisture, but OK in a pinch.
How to Make this Prune Dessert Recipe:
Make the prune puree
Start by making the prune filling. Place the prunes, juice and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let prune mixture simmer for 25-30 minutes, until prunes are very soft.
Once cool, place the prunes into a food processor and puree until thick and jammy.
Prepare the Cookie Crust
Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate large bowl, beat together the sugar and butter until fluffy.
Add in the oil, vanilla and water and beat again. Now add in the dry ingredients and mix until flour is just incorporated.
Assemble the Prune Dessert Bars
Reserve ~3/4 cup of the dough, wrap in plastic and place in the fridge until ready to use.
Take the other remaining dough and press it into a lined 8×8″ pan in an even layer. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Remove the crust from the oven and spread the prune mixture over the crust. For the remaining crust, it’s up to you! You can dollop the remaining dough onto the prune coating or, you can roll the remaining dough into a square, then place onto the prune mixture.
If you want to roll the dough, I place the dough between parchment paper and trim the edges, moving dough as needed to make a square. It doesn’t need to be perfect, as shown in these photos.
Place the bars back into the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown, another 25 minutes. Let the prune bars cool in the pan, then remove and place in on a wire cooling rack or the fridge to cool completely, about 1 hour.
Cut into squares and serve! Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the fridge.
Tips for Perfect Prune Bars
These prune bars may seem fairly involved, but I promise they are easier to make than they appear. I’ve made ~5 batches in the past month, and each time, it gets easier and easier.
For the top crust, it’s really up to you on how you want to present it. I’ve dolloped the crust on top so that more of the prune mixture shows through and I’ve also rolled out the dough to an 8-inch square to gently press on top, like shown here. That will take a little more effort, but it’s not difficult.
The easiest way is to ball the dough between two pieces of parchment paper, then gently roll out to a square. If the dough becomes lopsided, use a knife to make a clean edge, then add the leftover dough back to another side and roll to edge out the seam.
These don’t have to be perfect! It’s OK if the dough isn’t a perfect square, like shown in these photos.
Why do you need to stew prunes first?
The secret is stewing the prunes first before baking. This adds in additional moisture and reduces the need for extra liquid and fat; as prunes have the same rich, smooth mouthfeel as butter and oil.
For these bars, I stewed prunes in white grape juice, though apple juice or other clear 100% juice would also work. This makes the prunes extra plump and syrupy, the perfect texture for gently blending into a paste to spread on the brown sugar crust.
Health Benefits of Prunes
I’ve talked about our love of prunes before, but they are such an unsung hero in the nutrition and culinary world, I think they deserve more love.
Prunes are pretty incredible. A single serving, just 4-5 prunes, can help support good gut health! As an added bonus, prunes provide dietary fiber, sorbitol and polyphenols. The naturally occurring sorbitol is also what makes digestion a tad bit easier with prunes.
Sorbitol has a mild laxative effect, which combined with the prebiotic-rich fiber is a winning combination for a healthy gut. That’s a fancy way of saying if your kiddos are having a hard time going to the bathroom– these bars may help.
At under 100 calories per serving, prunes contain no added sugar, no cholesterol, no sodium and no fat. Pretty perfect, right? When I’m not enjoying them in these prune bars, I like to eat prunes right out of the bag, or lightly poached in orange juice to spoon over yogurt.
Are prunes and dried plums the same thing?
Yup. Depending on what package you grab in the grocery store, they may be called dried plums or prunes. As long as they don’t have any added sugar, they are the exact same thing.
Other Kid-Friendly Dessert Recipes:
Hope you love these this prune dessert recipe as much as we do. If you try it, make sure to come back and rate it in the comments below. You can also tag your creations using the hashtag #delishknowledge on Instagram. Seeing you make my recipes makes my day!
Prune Bars
Ingredients
Prune Filling
- 8 ounces Prunes
- 1 1/2 cups apple or white grape juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Bar Crust
- 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour*
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons vegan butter, softened
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons water
Instructions
Make the Prune filling
- First, place the prunes, juice, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Then, let simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the prunes are very soft and there is little liquid left (about 2-3 tablespoons.) Let cool slightly.
- Place the prune mixture and remaining liquid in a food processor and puree until the mixture is thick and jammy. Set aside.
Make the crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then, line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then lightly spray with cooking spray to grease. Set aside.
- First, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl. In a separate large bowl, beat together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Then, add in the oil, vanilla, and water and beat again.
- Slowly stir in the flour mixture and beat until the flour is just incorporated. Reserve ~3/4 cup of the dough, wrap in plastic and place in the fridge until ready to use.
- Then, take the other remaining dough and press it into the prepared pan in an even layer. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove the crust from the oven and spread the prune mixture over the crust. For the remaining crust- up to you! You can dollop the remaining dough onto the prune coating or, you can roll the remaining dough into a square, then place onto the prune mixture. If you want to roll the dough, I place the dough between parchment paper and trim the edges, moving dough as needed to make a square. It doesn’t need to be perfect, as shown in these photos.
- Place the bars back into the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown, another 25 minutes. Let the prune bars cool in the pan, then remove and place in on a wire cooling rack or the fridge to cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Finally, cut into squares and serve! Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
If you love these prune bars, then you will love my other bar recipes: Dark Chocolate Almond Oat Bars, Kitchen Sink Bars, Vegan PB&J Oatmeal Bars