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Homemade fig newtons recipe from scratch. Fig newtons made in a bar instead of a rolled cookie-so much easier and they taste just the same!
Fig Bar Recipe
Words can hardly describe how much I love these. And I can sit here and tell you that they are approximately 1-million times better than the store-bought ones, but you wonโt believe me until you try them.
I get it. Itโs my job to bake things and tell you how amazing they are. I do my best to convince you to bake what I bake. It probably falls on deaf ears after 718 recipes on this site. But, I will say it again: these cookies are definite must-makes.
What is a Fig Newton?
A fig newton is a soft cookie with a sweet fig filling wrapped in a very tender, chewy dough. Theyโre not overly sweet, and theyโre definitely for people who love the sweetness of figs and the tiny pops of their seeds.
Reasons you will love these Homemade Fig Newtons
- When you steep dried figs in apple juice (or water + a squeeze of honey) and then puree them, the filling is more flavorful and moist than store-bought fig newtons. Itโs not jammy and thick like store-bought, itโs fruity and soft.
- The crust is an identical copy of store-bought, but hereโs the thing: after sitting out uncovered for 1 day, the crust develops a thin layer of crispiness on top. And itโs addictive.
- They are made with a small amount of whole wheat flour. In my book, any time whole grains are involved, a dessert is instantly healthy and therefore guilt-free. And yes, you can use this information to justify a homemade fig newton binge or a homemade graham cracker binge alike.
I have to be honest, guys. There is a short list of recipes on this site that Iโve made more than a dozen times. A few are: my 15-minute homemade puff pastry, quick no-yeast cinnamon rolls, ricotta gnocchi, wine slushies, and melting sweet potatoes.
But these homemade fig newtons? I made them the second I arrived in Dallas at my parents house.
I need lots of people to make these and confer with me that they are, in fact, delicious & better than the original.ย Pleaseย hold some back and eat them on day 2 to taste the crisp crust. Just do it for me.
Homemade Fig Bars ingredients
- Dried Figs. We need 8 ounces (half a pound) of dried figs for this recipe. You can use Turkish or Calimyrna figs that have been dried completely. They should be somewhat soft and chewy, never overly hard or crisp. Remove the stems and cut each fig into quarters.
- Apple Juice. Weโre going to rehydrate the figs in apple juice to add sweetness to them, and help them blend into a soft, jam-like filling.
- Lemon Juice. A small amount of fresh lemon juice (two teaspoons) balances the flavors of the sweet figs.
- All-Purpose Flour. Regular, all-purpose bleached flour makes up half of the dough here. You can fluff it and scoop it into a cup and level it off, or you can measure it by weight before using.
- Whole Wheat Flour. Weโre using a small amount of whole wheat flour to mimc the heartiness and thickness of the store-bought variety of fig newtons.
- Baking Powder.
- Salt.
- Butter. I always bake with unsalted butter and add a bit of salt to the dough.
- Brown Sugar. I recommend light brown sugar for this recipe.
- Egg. One large egg.
- Vanilla Extract.
How to make Fig Newtons
Simmer the figs, apple juice*, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the figs are very soft and the juice is syrupy, 25 to 30 minutes. There should only be 3-4 tablespoons of liquid remaining in the pan when theyโre done.
Let the mixture cool slightly. Puree the figs in a food processor with the lemon juice until the mixture has a thick jam consistency, about 8 seconds.
Whisk the flours, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
Whisk the flours, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
Beat in the egg and vanilla just until combined.
Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Very important: Reserve 3/4 cup of the dough for the topping!
Sprinkle the remaining dough mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer with a greased spatula. Bake the bottom crust until just beginning to turn golden, about 20 minutes.
Now, take the 3/4 cup of dough you reserved and roll between 2 sheets of greased parchment paper into an 8-inch square; trim the edges of the dough as needed to measure exactly 8 inches. Leaving the dough sandwiched between the parchment, transfer it to a baking sheet and place it in the freezer until needed.
Spread the fig mixture evenly over the crust. Unwrap the frozen, reserved top crust and lay it over the filling, pressing lightly to adhere.
Bake the bars until the top crust is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Let the fig bars cool completely in the pan, set on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil, cut into squares, and serve.
How to store a Fig Newton
These soft cookies should be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container. To maintain their tender texture, try adding a slice of bread to the storage container. This helps keep the dough moist and prevents them from drying out. I do not recommend fridge or freezer storage.
Fig Newton Bars FAQs
Are Fig Newton bars healthy?
You can always look in the recipe card below for full nutritional information. In my opinion, because these fig newtons are made with whole wheat flour and dried fruit, they are a high fiber sweet treat that is somewhat healthy. Portion control is always your friend.
What is the best way to preserve fresh figs?
I have 3 fig trees in my yard, and they tend to produce too many figs at the same time. To store them, I pick them, remove the stem, and lay them flat to freeze. After theyโre frozen solid, I stack them in freezer bags or mason jars for easier storage. I often make a small batch of fig jam for all of the overly ripe, mushy figs that come off the tree.
I made this recipe from Americaโs Test Kitchenโs new cookbook: The Perfect Cookie. I really love this new cookbook of theirs, and I will be baking from it all holiday-season long!
Americaโs Test Kitchen is the place I send people for fail-proof recipes. If youโre not familiar with Americaโs Test Kitchen (or, ATK as I call them), their recipes are some of the best tested, written, and scientifically-researched recipes out there. And that just makes the baking nerd in me so happy.
I own so many of their books, that they have a dedicated shelf in my cookbook library.
If you love figs as much as me, try my Fall Sangria with figs!
More Favorites from Dessert for Two
Homemade Fig Newton Bars
Homemade fig newtons made with dried figs and a whole wheat brown sugar crust. Even better than store-bought!
Ingredients
Fig Filling:
- 8 ounces dried Turkish or Calimyrna figs, stemmed and quartered
- 2 cups apple juice*
- Pinch salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
For the crust:
- 3/4 cup (3 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (2 /3/4 ounces) whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed (5 1/4 ounces) light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- FOR THE FILLING: Simmer the figs, apple juice*, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the figs are very soft and the juice is syrupy, 25 to 30 minutes. There should only be 3-4 tablespoons of liquid remaining in the pan when they're done.
- Let the mixture cool slightly. Puree the figs in a food processor with the lemon juice until the mixture has a thick jam consistency, about 8 seconds.
- FOR THE CRUST: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with a parchment both directions, and then grease the paper.
- Whisk the flours, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined.
- Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated.
- Reserve 3/4 cup of the dough for the topping!
- Sprinkle the remaining dough mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer with a greased spatula.
- Bake the crust until just beginning to turn golden, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, roll the reserved 3/4 cup of dough for the top crust between 2 sheets of greased parchment paper into an 8-inch square; trim the edges of the dough as needed to measure exactly 8 inches. Leaving the dough sandwiched between the parchment, transfer it to a baking sheet and place it in the freezer until needed.
- Spread the fig mixture evenly over the crust. Unwrap the frozen, reserved top crust and lay it over the filling, pressing lightly to adhere. Honestly, this part doesn't have to be perfect; you can see in the photos I had some tears and holes and I just patched it. Once you cut the bars, no one will notice!
- Bake the bars until the top crust is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
- Let the fig bars cool completely in the pan, set on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil, cut into squares, and serve.
Notes
*If you lack apple juice, you can use water with 1 tablespoon of honey added.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 206Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 113mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 3gSugar: 10gProtein: 4g
Was short the apple juice and used Ginger beer instead. Turned out quite well with the added flavor.
Iโm making these fig bars for my big brotherโs birthday. Iโd like to double the recipe. Iโm thinking that I should lower the temperature by 25 degrees and cook for 15 minutes longer. Can you please tell me if you think this might work?
By the way, my big brother will be 65, and his favorite store-bought cookies when we were kids were Fig Newtons.
Aww Iโm so glad youโre here! I think your instincts are rightโฆ25 lower and 15 minutes longer. Personally, I would just double the recipe exactly, and use a toothpick to test for doneness at the given time and then check every 5 minutes after. But I think your method would work too :) Let me know how it goes! Good luck :)
This is the best fig bar recipe Iโve found on the โnet! Itโs also pretty easy. Because weโre gluttonous and have a lot of fresh figs to use up, I usually double the dough recipe and use a 13 X 9 panโI like the slightly thicker delicious crust. I donโt think Iโve adjusted the oven tempโthey are always yummy.
For those of you with a fig bonanza, I also use fresh figs that Iโve cooked into a quick jam. I chop the stems off a pound or so, throw them into the food processor until mostly smooth, then cook them down into a jam consistency with brown sugar, lemon juice, a bit of grated orange peel, and a pinch of cinnamon. Cook on low and stir often until it thickensโmaybe 20-30 min.
Make them! You wonโt be disappointed.
Do you think I could substitute rice flour for the whole
Wheat flour?
The bars are in the oven cooking, so I havenโt tasted the finished product yet. But I will say that the cookie dough for the crust was very sticky and hard to get spread in the pan or between the parchment paper and off. Refrigerating before rolling helped, but I wonder if adding more flour or reducing the butter would make it hold together any better?
Report back after tasting :) Itโs supposed to be thick and hard to spread. Otherwise, the final result would be too fluffy and not similar the store-bought variety.
Hi Christina,
My favorite variety of โfig newtonsโ are the raspberry ones โ think I could make a thick raspberry filling and use that instead of figs?
If I wanted to make another flavor other than fig could I substitute the fig for a thickened jam?
Can hardly wait to try this. I was apprehensive because of the lengthy list of instructions, but they are quite straight forward and I should be able to pull it off. One thing โ you say to use parchment to line the pan, then later on you say remove the fig bars using the foil. Confused me for a second!
This is an excellent, easy recipe using homemade filling or just a jar of fig jam.
Cinnamon &/or a dash of chai spice elevates the cookie crust.