It's not a stretch to say that most people think of the iconic Fig Newtons when they think of figs. I always thought (when I was a kid) that Fig Newtons were the healthy mom's answer to cookies and was thankful that my mom didn't pack that sorry-excuse-for-a-cookie in my school lunches. Now, as a mom myself, my taste buds are re-conditioned and the thought of a fig filled cookie would be high on my list for a treat.
But a Fig Newton? No thanks. As you can see, they're made with high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and preserved to stay fresh for years on a grocery store shelf. Why not make a batch with real flavors and real ingredients and enjoy them for several days?
There are many takes on this classic fruit cookie and will appeal to a broad spectrum of folks - versions that are paleo, no refined sugar, gluten-free, jammy and just simple and easy to make.
I opted for a simple version from Weelicious for my first attempt, but am now inspired to improvise with other flavors and flours, adding applesauce and orange zest...just getting the dough to the right consistency and softness. And also trying different types of figs ( I used dried black mission figs, soaked and pureed with honey).
One thing is for sure; I'll happily choose a homemade 7 ingredient cookie over a 21+ ingredient one that is filled with artificial-ness. And the effort was minimal and fun!
A few tips that made for easier baking: I used parchment paper when rolling out the dough and also to bake on my nice new sturdy 18/8 stainless steel jelly roll pan. Roll out the dough as thin as you can so the cookie part is a good ratio to the fig mixture inside, otherwise it could be kinda dry. When filling the insides with pureed figs, leave room on both sides of rolled-out rectangle so you can fold the edges in and overlap to seal closed. And then I stored the cookies in a Lys glass storage container to keep fresh.
What treats do you prefer to make at home rather than buy store brands?
