The first thing to do to make these mock fig newton cookies is to prepare the dough. Use a hand blender to thoroughly combine the dough ingredients. Then place the dough in the refrigerator to cool and harden until the figs are ready.
Place the figs, dates, and orange juice (or apple juice) in a small saucepan and simmer for at least 10 minutes, or until the figs are completely soft. The orange juice should reduce a little as well. Next, move the mixture to a blender or food processor. It should resemble a thick paste, which will be the center of the cookies.
The next step is to roll out the refrigerated dough between two sheets of parchment paper so that it makes a very long, thin rectangle. Alternatively, you can divide the dough into two pieces and make two rectangles. The dough should be rolled out to approximately 1/4-inch thick. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and spoon the fig filling into a line across the center of the rectangle.
To form the cookies, use the parchment paper to fold the bottom third of the dough over the fig filling. Try to make it a tight fold. Peel back the paper, and then fold the top third of dough over the middle in the same way. It should resemble a thin log. Pinch the ends together to lock in the filling. At this point you can either place the log in the freezer for 15 minutes, so that the dough is easier to cut, or you can go ahead and cut the log into cookies. I made my fig newton cookies quite large; I did not know how much they would puff up in the oven. I recommend cutting them a bit smaller so that they make an easy packable snack.
Space out the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees. Keep an eye on the cookies towards the end of the baking time – they should be golden brown on the outsides but still a bit soft in the middle. Let them cool for 20 minutes before digging in. The cookies are perfect for packing in a lunchbox, or enjoying as an afternoon treat.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried figs
- 3 pitted Medjool dates
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups almond meal
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Directions
- Add the eggs, coconut oil, syrup, and vanilla extract to a bowl. Use a hand blender to combine. Add the almond meal, baking soda, and salt. Blend again until completely combined. Place in the refrigerator to chill until the figs are ready.
- Place the figs, dates, and orange juice to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until the figs are soft and the juice is slightly reduced. Place the mixture into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place onto a sheet of parchment paper. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper and roll out the dough into a long thin rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick.
- Spread the fig filling across the middle of the rectangle. Use the parchment paper to fold the bottom third of the dough over the top of the fig filling. Peel back the paper and repeat with the top third of the dough, forming a long log. Pinch the ends of the log together to seal in the filling. Use a sharp knife to cut the log into the desired amount of pieces. Space the pieces out on the parchment paper and place onto a baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container.
Can I use fresh figs? We have a huge tree that produces the swetest friit. Also, can I susdtute prunes for dates? Dates just seem so expensive here. Thanks for the help and all of the great recipes.
If there is OJ, how is this Paleo friendly?
Looks Tasty! Do you think coconut flour would work? There is a nut allergy in the house. Thank you!
Really like the recipe. Have done it a couple of times now. But every time I’ve got to the rolling it out stage its really sticky and sticks to the parchment paper. Is there something I’m doing wrong? Did you encounter the same issue? Any suggestions to how I can combat this? Thanks.
Allen, I had the same problem you did. My dough was a gooey mess and would stick to the parchment paper even after following the dough recipe to the “T”. In my case, the problem was solved by pressing the almond meal into the measuring cup until you get 2 cups. Don’t measure the almond meal loosely or you will get goo. I also added 1 tsp cinnamon to flavor the crust more. Next time I make these I’ll probably sub the OJ with apple cider. I hope this helps you and anyone else struggling with the goo.
Followed your advice, Allen, and did not have goo. Made sure the almond meal was packed tight to get my 2 cups. My dough was in the fridge less than 10 minutes and not sticky at all. Beautiful.
Yeah, cool the dough and lightly oil the parchment with something that isn’t affected much by the cold of the fridge, like olive oil- even though the dough itself is oily. It just helps the entire process. Doesn’t harm the finished product in any way. Who cares about a little added fat? Not moi.
Once you cool the dough long enough it doesn’t stick at all.
What is almond meal please somebody? I’m new to Paleo about 5 weeks and I’m in the uk so some of the ingredients I’ve had terrible trouble getting hold of or they are super ridiculously expensive so any help would be much appreciated. Thank you
Made these the other day, but instead of rolling out the dough, I divided it in two, placed one half in a greased 8×8″ dish. After pressing the dough in the dish, spread the filling on top, then pressed the remaining dough on top. Baked according to directions.
PS– I cut into bars once cool, they were yummy!!!
Found this was great although next time I will roll the dough a bit thinner, since it was very crisp but still a bit too moist on the inside. The fig mixture was delicious.