« MLK

Elana’s Pantry in the Denver Post »

Fig Newtons

fig newtons

Fig newtons seem to be everybody’s childhood favorite. Especially my husband’s. I made a batch of homemade fig newtons this weekend and he ate the cookies so quickly that I had to hide some for friends.

What makes these little fig newtons so special? Well, I’m told they taste like the real thing. And besides, unlike the original, they have no white flour, white sugar or artificial flavors. They’re gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and naturally sweetened, making them a perfect treat for just about anyone –including those on the GFCF diet.

Lately, a number of parents have been in touch with me about the GFCF diet. Through these correspondences I have been introduced to TACA, as well as Jenny McCarthy’s memoir about her son, Louder Than Words, in which she discusses her journey to heal her son’s autism.

I am glad to have encountered this strongly networked group of parents and to provide GFCF recipes such as the one below that offer fun food for the whole family.

Fig Newtons
Filling:
1 cup dried figs
½ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Dough:
2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ cup agave nectar
¼ cup yacon
¼ cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  1. Place figs in a food processor and blend for 30 seconds until they are well chopped
  2. Add lemon juice and vanilla; process until a smooth paste results
  3. In a large bowl, combine almond flour and salt
  4. In a smaller bowl, combine agave, yacon, grapeseed oil and vanilla
  5. Mix wet ingredients into dry, then refrigerate dough for 1 hour
  6. Divide chilled dough into 4 parts
  7. Between 2 pieces of parchment paper, roll out 1 part of the dough into a 10 x 4 inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick
  8. Spread ¼ of the filling evenly down the right side (lengthwise) of the rectangle
  9. Fold the dough in half down the long side –resulting in a 10 x 2 inch bar
  10. “Mend” the seam so the bar is symmetrical
  11. Repeat with 3 remaining parts of dough and filling
  12. Transfer each bar to a parchment lined baking sheet; bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes
  13. Allow to cool slightly; cut bar every 2 inches to form the fig newtons
  14. Serve

Makes 20 cookies


Never miss a recipe!

Subscribe by Email to elanaspantry.com:


Posted on January 23, 2008 in desserts by Elana
you might also like: Butter Cookies for Mary or Hamantaschen


site feed email subscription print friendly recipe email this recipe
add to del.icio.us add to stumbleupon share on facebook 7 comments





6 comments for the post “Fig Newtons”

  1. Jason said:
    Jason

    Hi Elana,

    I love your site and check it often for updates. These newtons look fantastic and I’ll be making up a batch this weekend. I’ve been involved with TACA for several years now - thanks for the mention. They are a wonderful group of people that truly care about the future for our kids… and society in general as a result.

    Keep up the great posts!

    J


    January 31st, 2008 2:25 pm
  2. Elana said:
    Elana

    Hey Jason, glad that you like the site and thanks for stopping by. Let me know how the fig newtons turn out.

    TACA is an amazing organization isn’t it?

    Elana


    February 5th, 2008 5:56 pm
  3. Diane said:
    Diane

    Hi Elana,
    I wasn’t familiar with yacon so hit the link in your recipe and the ingredients listed are as follows:
    “Extracted in distilled water and 40% organic grain alcohol”.
    Does this mean it contains grain alcohol? Can celiacs ingest this?
    Also, can you recommend a substitute (agave nectar?) if I can’t source it in Canada?
    Thanks!


    February 6th, 2008 4:51 pm
  4. Elana said:
    Elana

    Diane,

    Thank you for your comment and for pointing out this mistake regarding the yacon syrup. I have changed the link on this post so that it connects to a pure yacon syrup that you can easily purchase online from iherb.com; I think they will mail order to Cananda.

    Thanks for stopping by and thanks again for your astute comment regarding the yacon error.

    Elana


    February 11th, 2008 1:41 pm
  5. ~M said:
    ~M

    Hi Elana,

    This post - as well as your gingerbread post and faq - explain what yacon is. I had never heard of it before, but became aware through your blog and then spotted it at the grocery store. My question is, when do you use yacon as opposed to agave? Thanks!


    September 29th, 2008 4:31 am
  6. elana said:
    elana

    ~M,

    I use yacon and agave together in my recipes. Yacon has a rich dark flavor that mimics molasses and I use it in place of this ingredient.

    Hope this helps to answer your question.

    Elana


    October 1st, 2008 9:58 am

leave a comment



Before submitting your comment: If you are inquiring about recipe ingredients, products, substitutions or other related items on this website, please visit my FAQ page first, or visit the forums.