Fresh Fig Newton Cookies
Use fresh figs in our recipe to make soft and tender homemade Fig Newton cookies. These fig roll cookies are a delicious way to use an abundance of fresh figs and feature a homemade fresh fig jam.
Fresh figs are such a delight. Soft and sweet. They are a perfect pairing for salty cured meats, pork, or smooth, creamy cheeses.
There are so many ways to enjoy fresh figs, and today we're turning fresh figs into fig jam that we can put into a homemade version of the American classic Fig Newton cookie.
Where did figs originate from?
Figs are native to Asia Minor (current day Turkey and northern India). From there they spread throughout the Mediterranean.
They were much used and revered in ancient Greek and Roman cultures, and these two civilizations spread the little fruit to Africa, Portugal, Spain, and France.
From Spain, the Franciscan Missionaries brought them to California. (Hence the 'Mission' varietal.)
Where are figs grown today?
Most of the world's figs are grown in Turkey. But other countries with high production include Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, and Iran.
California comes up next, producing nearly all of the dried and fresh figs consumed in the States.
What month are figs ripe?
In the US, fig season runs from June through October.
And here's another fun fact for you. Figs aren't really a fruit. Rather, they are the flowers of the tree that bloom inside the smooth skin of a pear-shaped pod.
The petals and seeds then mature into the sweet 'fruit' that we eat.
How to choose good figs
Figs should be slightly soft (but not mushy) with smooth skin. (Hard figs will not continue to ripen much on the counter.)
If the figs smell sour or fermented they are past their peak.
How to make homemade fresh fig jam
The recipe to make fresh fig jam is relatively straightforward.
First, we stem and quarter the fresh figs. Then, they are slowly cooked until soft with some sugar and a few seasonings (orange juice and cinnamon in this recipe to give the jam the classic 'newton' flavor profile).
We then put the softened figs into a food processor or blender, to create a smooth puree.
The fig puree then heads back into the saucepan to finish jamming up. During this stage, stirring nearly constantly is important, so that the jam doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
No one likes burnt jam.
Once the mixture is thick, your jam is done!
Our recipe for making "Fig Newtons" (fig roll cookies) with fresh figs
We dive into the history of the Fig Newtons (and why you can't find "Fig Newtons" in stores anymore) in the article with our recipe to make these fig roll cookies out of dried figs.
So, if you're curious (or if fresh figs are out of season), definitely pop over there.
The most important thing about the fig filling for these cookies is that it needs to be stiff. That way it won't ooze out of the cookies.
So, our jam needs to be a bit stiffer than you typically may cook a jam to (for instance if you were making this apricot jam or our mulberry jam).
Check out the picture above for the soft peaks that your jam filling should hold and below for how it looks rolled in the dough before baking.
When you make these fig rolls, you bake them in their long logs (pictured above). The filling stays put more nicely that way.
Then, after baking and while still warm, you slice the rolls into the individual cookies.
Another unique thing about these cookies that is after cutting them (again, while they are still warm) you put them into an airtight container.
This lets the steam from the cookies and the moisture from the jam soften the cookie, so you are left with a tender cookie that brings back all the memories of the store-bought version. (But, so much better, because you made them yourself!)
Fresh Fig Newton Cookies
Use fresh figs to make Fig Newton cookies! These fig rolls feature an easy to make homemade fresh fig jam!
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough
- 8 tablespoon salted butter, softened
- ¼ c brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
- 1 c all purpose flour (divided)
- ¾ c whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Fresh Fig Jam Filling
- 1 lb fresh figs, stems removed and quartered
- 2 tablespoon orange juice
- ½ c sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
For the Cookie Dough
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy using an electric hand mixer (2-3 min).
- Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and orange zest until well combined.
- Add ¾ cup of all-purpose flour, ¾ c of whole wheat flour, the baking powder, and salt. Mix until a soft cookie dough forms, adding the remaining ¼ cup of all-purpose flour as needed to bring the dough together.
- With your hands, shape the dough into a ball. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.
For the Fresh Fig Jam Filling
- While the dough is chilling, heat the fig jam ingredients together in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the figs are soft (30 minutes).
- Transfer the softened fig mixture to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Transfer the puree back to the saucepan and heat over low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring constantly while bubbling, until very thick. Your finished "jam" should be so thick that it holds soft peaks (see the image in our article).
(This yields roughly 1 ⅓ c of filling, which is more than you will need for this recipe, but now you can enjoy a batch of fig jam too!)
Putting It All Together
- Preheat your oven to 325F.
- Line a large baking tray with a baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- On a floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a 10 inch x 14 inch rectangle. Use a knife or pizza cutter as needed to make the outer edges straight.
- Cut the dough lengthwise into three strips, roughly 3.5 inches x 14 inches.
- Spoon a line of jam filling down the center of each strip of dough, roughly 1 inch wide.
- Carefully fold each edge of dough over the top of the fig jam, making a log. Press the top to seal the dough slightly.
- Place the logs, seam side down, onto your lined baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookie logs for 17-20 minutes, until the logs feel dry and slightly firm when touched. Remove the pan from the oven and cut each log into 8-9 cookies while still warm.
- While still warm, place the cut cookies into an airtight container. (This will soften the cookies as they cool.)
- Store the cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 1 week.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
2 cookiesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 190
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
We are lucky enough to get fresh figs from a friend and this year has been a bounty. This is the 4th year in a row I’ve made these cookies and they turn out perfect every time. I have learned to roll out the dough on parchment to make the transfer to a cookie sheet easier. My debate is always, when to put the lid on the container. Are they too hot or too cool but the end result never disappoints.
We're so glad you love these cookies Melissa! Thanks for sharing your tips!
Only question I have is 49% sarcastic and 51% showing off: what do I do with about 15 pounds of figs now in the refrigerator and another 15 - 20 racing toward ripe on my very own fig trees outside my very own window -- yes, right there, about 30 feet away . . . I think I shall ramp this recipe up to fit the limiting ingredient quantity: I have TWO oranges. Should be fun. Recipe (which I used to have but haven't been able to locate) looks great! Thank you!
What a harvest! Hopefully this recipe helps you get through those figs!
Can these be frozen? Maybe before baking the cookies? Or after?
Hi Holly. Yes they can! You can freeze them either way. If you want to be able to grab one or two at a time from the freezer, you can freeze them baked. If you just want to prep the whole batch ahead for baking later, you can freeze them before baking and bake from frozen (it may take a couple minutes longer). Enjoy!
After cooking for over an hour, it is not thickening up. Can I add a little flour to help it along. My mixture is also much lighter than the picture. Would mine just be a different type of fig?
Hi Jeanne. Were you using a saucepan that gave the jam a lot of surface area? Did your jam ever come to a bubble during that final cooking? It is possible you have a different type of fig that contained more moisture than the ones we used.
Can this be doubled or tripled with success? My mom’s fig tree is loaded. Thank you for your help April.
Yes. It should be able to be scaled up without a problem. Enjoy!
@Sarah - Curious Cuisiniere,
Sarah, I ended up cooking it about 8 hours before it got thick. But it is so good! Mmmm 😋 yummy
Thank you for sharing this recipe 💝
Hi April. We're glad you enjoyed it! I should have mentioned scaling up a jam recipe can increase cooking time. My apologies. If you do it again, you may be able to shorten the cooking time by using a wider pot. The more surface area you have and the thinner the layer of jam the faster it will thicken.
These are delicious! I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to have store made ones anymore 😆 Rave reviews from friends and family. I’m making my second batch tomorrow. Hope they turn out as well. The jam does need slow, especially after the food processing, and also attention to stirring. I make the jam one day and the cookies a day or so later.
We're so glad you love these fig cookies Charlotte!
Oh my goodness. I usually make fig jam with my figs, but I thought I'd try fig newton's. Found this recipe and made the fig filling. Since I wasn't going to make the cookies right away I stopped at the pureeing step . I figured I'd thicken it later. Well I tried the jam. Well it is out of this world! I don't often say that since I thought I already had the perfect recipe. Hubby and I ate most of it warm . I've made 3 batches so far and everyone raves over it. One day I will make the cookies to go with it. Thanks so much for a terrific recipe
We're so glad you love the jam filling for these cookies Donna! We do too!
My figs won't thicken up as in the picture. I've been cooking them for about 30 minutes. Is there something I can do to make that happen? Thank you!
Hi Jennifer. After you've blended them, they won't thicken? Was the heat high enough that the mixture was bubbling? If the heat was too low, then it would take longer to thicken up.
Figs are a fruit and you can buy Fig Newtons still - have them in my cupboard.
Hi Jackie. Culinarily, figs are considered a fruit, but botanically, they are an inverted flower, not a fruit. And, take a look at that package of 'fig' Newtons in your cupboard. You will see that the logo no longer contains the word 'fig', which is what we dive into in the linked article.
Would these work out ok using all purpose flour only?
Hi Joan. We haven't tried them that way, but they should work just fine. You may need to add a bit more flour, since all-purpose flour won't take as much moisture as whole wheat will. Just make sure you add flour until the dough comes together nicely. Let us know how they turn out for you!
I followed the recipe to the T but my dough turned out to be very crumbly and hard to work with when I rolled it out. What went wrong?
Hi Tina. We're sorry you're having trouble. It's hard to say, not baking by your side. But, what type of wheat flour did you use, some wheat flour will need extra moisture.
I just made these! They turned out great!! It did take about 40 minutes for the jam to get thick as needed, but that could be because I didn't have the heat up high enough. Slow and steady... better than having burnt jam as you mentioned! I would make this again for sure!!
So glad you enjoyed the cookies!
These look amazing, I have a lot of fresh figs and want to make several batches of these, but will they be okay to freeze?
Oh yes. These cookies should be just fine to freeze.