Monday, March 31, 2014

Homemade Fig Newton's

I have strong memories when I think of Fig Newton’s.  Yeah, I’m strange.

I miss my childhood sometimes.

When I was a kid, we would go to my Grandma & Grandpa’s house after school.  They actually weren’t my grandparents but they were my mom’s best friends.  We LOVED visiting them-they always had plenty of food to go around…chow mein, egg rolls & rice {to make our cheeks big and pretty!}.  I remember staring at the Barbie collection for hours, watching TV, playing Nintendo and visiting.  We would also eat lots of Fig Newton’s, or a brand quite similar.  It was always so hard going home!  Nevertheless, when I saw this recipe, I immediately thought of them.  It’s kind of interesting how certain things can trigger memories and make you yearn for simpler times.  Grandma passed away quite some time ago, but I still think of her often.  She was always so kind and caring-a wonderful human being.

These fig newton’s take a bit of work & time, but well worth the effort.  I would say {without hesitation} that these are better than store bought.  The cookie dough is so soft, especially after steaming them.  And the flavor…well let’s just say it’s a taste of pure heaven!  As I bit into it, I was taken back to my childhood…worth every minute I spent on them. 

Homemade Fig Newton’s

Makes approximately 20-24 cookies

INGREDIENTS

for the cookie dough:

1½ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) butter, softened at room temperature

2/3 cups brown sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

for the fig filling:

1 package (227 grams) dried figs, cut into small pieces

½ cup water

DIRECTIONS

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder & salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. This will take approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the egg and vanilla.

Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Mix until well combined. Shape the dough into a disc and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

In a medium saucepan, combine the figs and water. Bring to a boil and cover. Allow to boil until the figs have absorbed most of the water, or becomes very soft. Remove excess water (if any) and place in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Flour your work surface liberally (alternatively, if you are uncomfortable with using just your work surface you may use parchment paper but continue to flour liberally as well) . Divide the dough into 2 pieces and roll the dough-turning over occasionally to ensure it does not stick to the surface. Re-flour as needed.  

Shape the dough into a rectangle-about 4 inches wide by approximately 16 inches long. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Divide the fig filling into 2. Place in the center of the dough rectangle-one inch strip. Flatten with your fingers if necessary. Fold one side of the dough over the filling, then the other and press down. Flip the cookie roll over (you may need a butter knife to loosen this up a little) and cut 1-1 1/2 inch cookies.* Repeat with remaining dough. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 16-18 minutes, until no longer tacky.

When the cookies are still warm and the baking sheet not so hot, place plastic wrap over the sheet. This will steam the cookies and keep them soft for days. Allow the cookies to cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, if they last that long!

*you can make them a larger size if desired but you won’t yield as much cookies!

Source: adapted from Food52