Our easy Fig Newton recipe brings the deep sweetness of 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.
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. These classic fig rolls have a more crumbly, pastry like cookie surrounding the filling, rather than the chewy, cakey cookie of Roser’s Fig Newtons.
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 the 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.
Our easy Fig Newton recipe brings the deep sweetness of figs together with a tender cookie crust. You might just trade in the store bought version for these babies!
Yield: 24 cookies
- 8 Tbsp salted butter, softened
- ¼ c brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp fresh orange zest
- 1 c unbleached all purpose flour
- ¾ c whole wheat flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 6 oz dried figs
- ¼ c water
- 2 Tbsp orange juice
- ⅛ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp honey
- In a large bowl, cream 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 the flours, baking powder, and salt. Mix until a soft cookie dough forms. With your hands, shape the dough into a ball. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.
- While the dough is chilling, make the filling. In a small saucepan, place the dried figs, water, orange juice, and cinnamon. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, until the figs begin to plump.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes. Then, transfer the mixture to the bowl of your food processor. Add the honey and blend until a thick paste forms. Set the filling aside.
- Preheat 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 to make the outer edges even.
- Cut the dough lengthwise into three strips, roughtly 3.5 inches x 14 inches.
- Divide the fig filling paste between each strip of dough, forming it into a line down the center of each strip. Press the filling to roughly 1-inch wide.
- Carefully fold each edge of dough over top of the fig paste, making a log. Press the top to seal the dough slightly.
- Place the logs, seam side down, onto your linked baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 17-20 minutes, until the logs feel dry and slightly firm when touched. Remove the cookies from oven and cut each log into 8-9 cookies while they are 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.
Made this a few days ago and it was a hit at my church, with my husband and with my friends! Everyone commented that they were better than the store bought cookies! I used fresh figs from our tree and followed the recommendations in the comments Sarah and it was delicious! The only modification I made that may be useful I made was that I used plastic wrap to assist when rolling up the cookies. I put plastic wrap on top of the third of dough I was working with and flipped it so the wrap would be on bottom then filled and used the plastic wrap to fold the dough and it turned out super smooth!
Great tip! Thanks Tracy! We’re so glad everyone enjoyed them!
This recipe was a big hit at our house. Even people that don’t like Fig Newtons loved these. I made the cookies with fresh figs using the instructions in the comment section. Great cookies and not as difficult as I expected.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them! Glad to know the fresh fig filling worked well for you!
How do I make the fig filling using freshly picked figs? I have a large fig tree & looking for recipes to make. Thank you
Hi Naomi, I would suggest making a very thick fig jam and using that for the filling. Our filing is very a very thick paste consistency.
I would try something like this: 1 lb of fresh figs (stemmed and chopped), 1/2 c granulated sugar (maybe more depending on the sweetness of your figs), 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp orange zest, 1/8 tsp cinnamon. Simmer everything together in a large pot for 40-50 minutes over low heat, until the jam is very thick. If it is too thin to hold up in the cookies, you can always mix in a little flour after the jam has cooled. (You want to wait until the jam has cooled to use it in the cookies, since it will continue to thicken as it cools.)
We haven’t tried our recipe with fresh figs, so if you have a tested, thick fig jam recipe, go ahead a use that. We’ll work on testing this out, so we can share a tested option for fresh figs in the future.
If you do give it a try, be sure to come back and let us know what you did and how it turned out for you!
Hi, I’m making these today for my Mom. I accidentally added the honey to the liquid I plumped the figs in.
Will this mess up the consistentcy of the paste??
Hi Erika, I would watch the paste as the figs are cooking, being careful not to cook them at too high of a heat or for too long. (So the sugar doesn’t caramelize.) Cook them just until the figs are plump. But really, at low heat, covered for 10 minutes, you should be fine. If it’s too thick, you may just need to add a little more honey to the figs when you blend them. Enjoy!
Thanks for the recipe. I’m trying this recipe in a couple days.My hubby is crazy about Fig Newtons and I plan on making them for him on FATHER’S DAY
We hope you both enjoy them!!
Fig Newton’s sound divine I will be making these today !
We hope you enjoy them!
These look store bought, yummy!!!
Thanks Janet! We actually like the way these taste even more than we like the store bought versions, because you can really taste the flavor of the figs.