Fig Newtons Recipes

HOMEMADE FIG NEWTONS RECIPE

Steps:

• FOR THE FILLING: Simmer the figs, apple juice*, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the figs are very soft and the juice is syrupy, 25 to 30 minutes. There should only be 3-4 tablespoons of liquid remaining in the pan when they're done.
• Let the mixture cool slightly. Puree the figs in a food processor with the lemon juice until the mixture has a thick jam consistency, about 8 seconds.
• FOR THE CRUST: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with a parchment both directions, and then grease the paper.
• Whisk the flours, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
• In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes.
• Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined.
• Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated.
• Reserve 3/4 cup of the dough for the topping!
• Sprinkle the remaining dough mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer with a greased spatula.
• Bake the crust until just beginning to turn golden, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, roll the reserved 3/4 cup of dough for the top crust between 2 sheets of greased parchment paper into an 8-inch square; trim the edges of the dough as needed to measure exactly 8 inches. Leaving the dough sandwiched between the parchment, transfer it to a baking sheet and place it in the freezer until needed.
• Spread the fig mixture evenly over the crust. Unwrap the frozen, reserved top crust and lay it over the filling, pressing lightly to adhere. Honestly, this part doesn't have to be perfect; you can see in the photos I had some tears and holes and I just patched it. Once you cut the bars, no one will notice!
• Bake the bars until the top crust is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
• Let the fig bars cool completely in the pan, set on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil, cut into squares, and serve.

FIG NEWTONS RECIPE (COPYCAT)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Dice the figs and soak them in apple juice, salt, and lemon juice mixture for 1 hour.
• Cook the ingredients in a pot on medium heat until a thin, jam-like consistency is achieved. Set aside to cool, then transfer to a pastry bag.
• In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and light brown sugar until fluffy. Then, beat in the egg, milk or cream, and vanilla. You may do this on a stand mixer, food processor, or by hand.
• Add the dry ingredients and mix well until fully incorporated. Form it into a dough ball and wrap using plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 1 hour to set.
• Take the dough out of the fridge and divide it into 6 portions.
• Form each portion into a log. In between two sheets of parchment paper, use a rolling pin and flatten to ⅛ inch rectangles, about 10 inches long and 4 inches wide. Cut off excess dough to achieve these dimensions.
• Pipe a straight line of fig filling in the middle of the rectangular dough sheet. Using the parchment paper as leverage, lift one side of the dough to cover the filling. Gently flatten the dough, and do the same on the other side until the fig filling is fully covered. The end result should be a flattened rectangular log. Repeat until all six dough portions are used up. You might need to refrigerate the other pieces of dough while doing this.
• Cut the cookie logs into 2-inch squares and lay them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
• Bake the fig newtons in the middle rack for 10 to 15 minutes or until the bottom crust is golden brown.
• Let the fig cookies rest for 5 minutes. After that, transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Store the cookies in an airtight container lined with a paper towel at the bottom and on top.

FIG NEWTONS (HOMEMADE)

Steps:

• Dice figs, soak in water 1 hour.
• Add sugar & cook on medium heat until of thin jam consistency.
• Beat sugar, butter, egg, milk & vanilla until well blended.
• Add dry ingredients.
• Mix well and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Place 1/2 on well floured dough cloth; knead about 6 times.
• Roll out to 1/4" thick. Line 13 x 9" glass baking dish; cover with figs.
• Roll remaining dough, cover figs. Cook at 350° for 30 minutes.
• Let cool and cut into squares. Depending on the size you cut you can get a couple dozen cookies.

70'S FIG NORTONS

Steps:

• Dough: Blend the dry ingredients in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer). Add the butter and mix at low speed until sandy. Whisk 3 of the eggs together until foamy and add to the bowl. Mix to combine. Form the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
• Filling: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, and cook over medium heat until all the liquid is absorbed by the figs and the mixture is thick. Let cool slightly, then puree in a food processor (or using a hand blender) until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to bake. (The recipe can be made up to this point and refrigerated up to 3 days.)
• When you're ready to bake, heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Make an egg wash by whisking the remaining egg with 2 teaspoons of water. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a rough rectangle, about 1/8-inch thick. Cut the dough lengthwise into strips, at least 2 1/2 inches wide. Paint around the edges of 1 strip with egg wash. Pipe or spoon the fig filling down the center of the strip and then fold the dough over to enclose the filling, slightly overlapping the long edge, like a letter. Place the tube, seam side down, on the cookie sheet, then press down lightly to flatten somewhat. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Bake until light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Use a sharp knife to cut into 1-inch segments.

FIG NEWTON-ISH COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine whole wheat flour, ground walnuts, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
• Beat butter, brown sugar, and honey together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg, orange zest, and vanilla extract; beat until thoroughly combined. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until just combined and dough is very soft and sticky.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap. Pat into a disk and refrigerate, 4 hours to overnight.
• Place figs, water, honey, orange juice, vanilla extract, orange zest, and nutmeg in a medium saucepan. Bring filling mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until figs are softened and fall apart easily when pressed with a spoon, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes.
• Place filling mixture into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Pour puree into a glass container and let cool completely until filling has a spreadable consistency. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place a piece of parchment paper on a work surface and generously flour the paper and a rolling pin. Roll out the chilled cookie dough into a 10x14-inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Continue to flour the parchment and rolling pin as necessary. Divide dough into 4 strips about 3 1/2 inches wide by 10 inches long.
• Divide the fig filling among the strips of dough. Spread filling lengthwise down the center of each piece, leaving about 1/2 inch of space on the sides. Gently pull one side of the dough halfway over the filling. Repeat with the opposite side and pinch to seal in the filling to form a cookie log about 1 inch wide and 10 inches long.
• Gently roll the log over so it's seam-side down. Brush off any excess flour and gently press the top of the roll to flatten slightly. Repeat this process with the other dough strips.
• Brush off any excess flour from the top of, and in between, the cookie logs. Gently lift the parchment paper, with the cookies still on it, onto a baking sheet. Arrange logs about 1 inch apart on the baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cookies just begin to brown and feel slightly crispy to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes. Use a serrated knife to slice each log into 8 pieces about 1 1/4 inch long and 1 inch wide. Let cookies cool completely, at least 40 minutes.
• Store cooled cookies in an airtight container until softened, 8 hours to overnight.