Homemade Fig Newtons

Our easy Fig Newton recipe brings the deep sweetness of dried figs together with a tender cookie crust. You might just trade in the store-bought version for these babies! 

Where did Fig Newtons come from?

Fig Newtons as we know them today in America were invented by Charles M. Roser, a cookie maker from Ohio.

He sold the recipe to Kennedy Biscuit Co. (now Nabisco) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and they began producing the filled fig cookie in 1891.

The cookies were named after Newton, a city just outside of Boston.
As a side note, have you noticed that Nabisco’s cookies aren’t called “Fig” Newtons any more?

In 2001, Nabisco dropped “fig” from the cookie’s name. Apparently, figs, like prunes, are too often associated with laxatives and elderly people to make for an attractive cookie.

Poor figs. We still think you’re attractive.

We don’t know where Roser got the idea for his fig-filled cookie, but what we do know is that they seem incredibly similar to a classic British pastry: the fig roll.

The classic British fig rolls have a more crumbly, pastry-like cookie surrounding the filling, rather than the chewy, cakey cookie of Roser’s Fig Newtons.

How to make homemade Fig Newtons

Homemade Fig Newtons are quite simple to make.

The dough is soft and easy to roll. The filling comes together quickly in the food processor.

Some recipes will tell you to use a pastry bag to pipe the filling onto the rolled-out dough, however, we found that our filling was a bit too stiff to pipe. So, we just dove right in and used our hands to arrange the filling.

The dough is then folded over the filling and the cookies are baked just long enough to dry out the outside, while still keeping the inside chewy and the cookie tender.

These cookies are unique from other rolled cookies in that they are not cut until after they are baked. This keeps the edges nice and moist.

Our Fig Newton recipe

For our Fig Newton recipe, we found a nice balance between classic American Fig Netwons and the traditional British version.

A mixture of wheat and all-purpose flours gives the cookie a nice heartiness and nutty flavor.

Our version isn’t overly sweet either. We liked the way the light sweetness of the filling and cookie really made the flavor of the figs shine through.

It is easy to over-bake these cookies, resulting in a Fig Newton that is more crumbly than cakey.

We found that the best remedy for a slightly crumbly Fig Newton is to put them in an airtight container while they are still slightly warm. This way, they will steam just enough to soften to the perfect consistency by the time they are cooled.

Can I make this recipe for fig newtons with fresh figs?

This recipe uses dried figs to make fig newtons, simply because dried figs are more easily available any time of year where we live. 

However, we tested these cookies during the short season when we can get fresh figs, and we are happy to report that if you happen to live somewhere that fresh figs are in abundance, you can definitely make these cookies with fresh figs too.

If you have an abundance of fresh figs, pop on over to our Fresh Fig Newton recipe. There you are basically making a very thick fresh fig jam to fill your cookies with. 

How to store homemade fig newtons

We find that these cookies last very well for a week on the counter kept in an air-tight container. 

If you’ll be storing them for longer than that, they keep very well in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. 

And, if you want to really make them ahead of time, they store incredibly well for a month or more in the freezer too.