I really thought my gluten free kids would never get to try the classic fig newton cookie. They were a favorite of mine growing up, but we haven't ever had them in our family until I came across this recipe. Can I just say that these are WAY BETTER than the store version (as most homemade things are), but they also give you that nostalgic feeling of eating a classic fig newton. The filling is so yummy, and the cookie dough is the perfect consistency and so easy to work with. I will be making these again and again!
Homemade Fig Newtons
Makes approximately 2 dozen
Filling:
1 cup dried figs, quartered, stems removed
1 tablespoon orange zest (about 1 medium orange)
1 tablespoon orange juice (freshly squeezed from orange)
1/4 cup honey
1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of salt
Cookie Dough:
1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch/flour
Pinch of salt
1 large egg
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cover a baking pan with parchment or a silicone mat. Place the figs in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Soak for about 5 minutes until softened, then drain well. To make the filling, add the figs to a food processor and roughly chop. Add the remaining filling ingredients and puree into a chunky paste, scraping down the sides as needed. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
Clean the food processor, then make cookie dough by adding the flours and pulsing to combine. Add the salt, egg, and honey and process a few seconds. Add the cubed butter and process until it comes together into a ball. Divide the dough in half and make each half into a ball. Using one ball at a time, between 2 sheets of parchment or wax paper, roll out the dough to about 1/2 cm thick. With a pizza cutter, cut into a long rectangle, about 4 inches wide. Reserve dough scraps to roll again. Put a third of the filling down the center of the rectangle. Using the parchment paper, fold the dough over the filling lengthwise to form a log. Gently press the edges together to seal. Using the parchment, roll onto the baking sheet, then lightly flatten the log. Do this two more times with remaining dough so you end up with three logs. Bake for about 20 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. Let cool about 15 minutes, then cut each strip into 1 1/2" - 2 " slices. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step-by-step tutorial:
Gather your ingredients. You will need some dry figs, an orange, honey, pumpkin pie spice, salt, almond flour, coconut flour, tapioca flour/starch, an egg, and butter. The great thing about this recipe is it doesn't use any rice flour if that's not your thing!
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
After you quarter and remove the stems of your figs, soak them in hot water for about 5 minutes. This just helps to soften them up a bit. Drain the figs and place in a food processor or blender. Pulse a few times to get the figs breaking up, then add in the orange zest (you can measure 1 tablespoon not packed zest, or zest an entire medium orange), orange juice (just measure 1 tablespoon from squeezing the orange), 1/4 cup honey, 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (if you don't have this, just use cinnamon and nutmeg), and pinch of salt. Pulse a few times, then puree until it becomes a thick smooth mixture. There will still be little chunks. Put into a bowl and set aside.
Wash your food processor, then add the flours. You need 1 cup almond flour, 1/4 cup coconut flour, and 1/4 cup tapioca flour. Add a pinch of salt. Pulse a few times, then add 1 egg and 2 tablespoons honey. Pulse until combined. Add 1/4 cup cold cubed butter and process until it becomes a ball of dough.
Remove the dough and create two balls with your hands. This dough is a DREAM to work with. No need to flour or grease your surface or hands. On a piece of parchment or wax paper, roll out the dough into a rectangle. Cut off the rough edges with a pizza cutter to get it nice and uniform, about 4 inches wide. Save the scraps to reroll. Put 1/3 of the filling down the middle.
Carefully use the parchment to roll one edge of the dough over the filling to the other edge. Gently press the edges together to seal. It's kind of like a log with the filling down the middle. Now move the log using the parchment paper onto the baking sheet. I kind of roll it off the parchment. Use the palm of your hand to slightly flatten the log so it will be the right shape. Repeat these steps with the other dough. I was able to do three logs. Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes or until starting to turn golden. Allow to cool 15 minutes on the pan, then cut into 1 1/2" squares and cool completely on a cooling rack.
They are really delicious warm! The cookie is soft and cake-like, just like the originals. So yummy!
And the filling is so flavorful and has the best texture. It's nostalgic, but SO MUCH BETTER than you'll ever remember. Enjoy!
Recipe Source: Recipe adapted from a recipe by A Clean Bake