-
1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and arrange a rack in the middle.
-
2
Place an 8-by-18-inch piece of waxed or parchment paper in an 8-by-8-inch baking pan; set aside.
-
3
Place almonds on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and bake, stirring halfway through, until fragrant and light golden brown, about 10 minutes.
-
4
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
-
5
Place figs in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and process until finely chopped, about 1 minute.
-
6
Transfer to a small bowl.
-
7
Place cooled almonds in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped and the texture of fine meal, about 25 (1-second) pulses.
-
8
Add dates and process, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, until dates and almonds are combined and dates are finely chopped, about 45 seconds.
-
9
Add almond butter, orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and reserved chopped figs and process until evenly combined, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, about 45 seconds.
-
10
Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
-
11
Add rice cereal.
-
12
Using your hands, knead the cereal into the fig-date-almond mixture until evenly incorporated, about 3 minutes.
-
13
(The cereal will break up as you mix it.)
-
14
Transfer mixture to the prepared baking pan and, using your hands, pat it into an even layer to the edges of the pan.
-
15
Fold the waxed or parchment paper over and press down on it with the bottom of a measuring cup or a flat-bottomed cup until the mixture is firmly packed and the top is smooth.
-
16
Freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight.
-
17
Lift the paper and the energy bar slab out of the pan and place on a cutting board.
-
18
Remove and discard the paper.
-
19
Cut the slab into 4 squares, then cut each square into 4 (4-by-1-inch) bars to form 16 bars total.
-
20
Wrap each bar in plastic wrap.
-
21
Store at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 weeks; let frozen bars come to room temperature before eating.
