Homemade Fig Newtons

Last updated on February 10th, 2021

Guess what? An improved, updated version of this recipe can be found in my cookbook Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: 70 Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Brand-Name Treats. Buy it now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local indie bookstore!

Ramona, her face shining with happiness, looked at her friends sharing the applesauce. “Those cookies are filled with worms. Chopped-up worms!” she gleefully told everyone.

“Why, Ramona!” Beezus was shocked. “They aren’t either. They’re filled with ground-up figs. You know that.” Ramona did not answer. Her mouth was full of fig Newtons.

—Beezus and Ramona, by Beverly Cleary

Oh, Ramona. Despite being typecast as Beezus due to my older-sister status, I’ve always felt a kinship with you and your strong opinions on Fig Newtons.

But then ReadyMade asked me to create a homemade version and taste-test it against the store-bought kind for the next Taste Off installment.

So I put all thoughts of minced wrigglers aside to develop a cookie combining the nostalgic lunchbox memories of the Newton and an adult appreciation of the savory, seasonal fig.

Luckily, the group of brainy ladies I recruited for the blind taste test are all Newtons aficionados.

(Maybe that’s where I went wrong? Eat Fig Newtons, develop super brain powers, and make the world a better, more beautiful place? Sigh.)

Pulling no punches in the name of truly objective reporting, the group came to some earth-shattering conclusions.

Whole grain and so-called “healthy” versions of Newtons are the crunchy camp counselors of the cookie world.

While they earnestly broadcast their good intentions and virtuous ingredients with whole-grain crusts and actual seeds in the fig filling, the testing panel would rather hang out with the cool kids.

The satisfyingly old-school original Newtons took everyone right back to lunchboxes in the all-purpose room and after-school snack time. (No word on whether said snack time also included friends who were as gleefully bossy as Ramona Quimby.)

And the homemade version, while sticking out from the bunch like a sticky thumb with their (slightly) unevenly spread filling, was a religious experience for a bunch of the tasters, giving them flashbacks to Hamantaschen and cakey Linzer-style Christmas cookies.

But what really sold the OG Newtons and the homemade cookies were the right balance between filling and crust—not too moist, not too dry, with a clearly defined textural contrast.

Click the image below for a full-size PDF of our Taste Off.

Homemade Fig Newtons

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Homemade Fig Newtons, made with a slightly tart, real fig filling, are cakey and moist enough to keep kids and adults happy.

Print

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 cup (113 grams) whole wheat flour
• 2 cups (120 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (53 grams) light brown sugar
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 large eggs

Filling

• 8 ounces (1/2 pound) dried Mission figs, tough stems removed, quartered
• 2 cups fresh orange juice (from about 6 oranges)
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

1. Sift the flours, salt, and baking powder together in a bowl.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the sugars and butter together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the dry ingredients to make a stiff dough.
4. Pat the dough into a disk, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
5. While the dough is chilling, stir the figs, juice, sugar, and ginger together in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan.
6. Bring to a boil, then simmer until figs are soft and the liquid is reduced to a jamlike consistency, about 30 minutes.
7. Transfer the fig filling to a mini food processor and pulse until pureed. Cool the fig filling to room temperature.
8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
9. On a well-floured work surface, divide the dough into four equal pieces.
10. Roll one of the pieces into an 8x10-inch rectangle approximately 1/4-inch thick.
11. Trim the edges with a pastry scraper, then cut into 2 inch-wide strips.
12. Spread half the strip with 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp of filling using your fingers or an offset spatula, then fold the uncovered half over to make a sandwich. You should average about 4 strips per quarter of dough and 3 filled cookies per strip.
13. Use the pastry scraper to cut the strip into cookies approximately 1 1/2 inches wide and transfer to the baking sheet.
14. Repeat with the remaining three pieces.
15. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown. Cool on racks before serving.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  3-in-1 Bench Scraper Set

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 139Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 120mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 3g

The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate.

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo!