Fig Newtons
Fig newtons seem to be everybody's childhood favorite. Especially my husband's. I made a batch of homemade, gluten free 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
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.
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 syrup
¼ cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Place figs in a food processor and blend for 30 seconds until they are well chopped
- Add lemon juice and vanilla; process until a smooth paste results
- In a large bowl, combine almond flour and salt
- In a smaller bowl, combine agave, yacon, grapeseed oil and vanilla
- Mix wet ingredients into dry, then refrigerate dough for 1 hour
- Divide chilled dough into 4 parts
- Between 2 pieces of parchment paper, roll out 1 part of the dough into a 10 x 4 inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick
- Spread ¼ of the filling evenly down the right side (lengthwise) of the rectangle
- Fold the dough in half down the long side --resulting in a 10 x 2 inch bar
- "Mend" the seam so the bar is symmetrical
- Repeat with 3 remaining parts of dough and filling
- Transfer each bar to a parchment lined baking sheet; bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes
- Allow to cool slightly; cut bar every 2 inches to form the fig newtons
- Serve
Makes 20 cookies
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Posted on January 23, 2008 in desserts by Elana
you might also like: Butter Cookies for Mary
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25 comments
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
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
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!
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 Canada.
Thanks for stopping by and thanks again for your astute comment regarding the yacon error.
Elana
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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!
~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
Hey what a cool site. I have bookmarked you and will definitely be trying these.
Joy,
Thanks! Let me know how you like them.
Elana
Yes, this is definitely something I just have to try.
.
I have all the Ingredients, believe it or not!
.
Just wondering, if you rolled the pastry around the fig mixture (like a Swiss/Jelly Roll),
then when it's baked slice in 1 inch slices, warm in the micro serve with Whipped Dairy Cream and Wine Apple seeds (Pomegranate).
.
Hmmmm! interesting thought.
David,
Interesting thought indeed! If you do that please let us know how it goes.
Thanks,
Elana
OMG! Elana,
These look scrumptious! You've nailed the amount of cakey yumminess to figgy sweetness ratio right on.
Other GF recipes for this tempting childhood treat have left me dissapointed with their too thick, dry cake that doesn't cut it.
Even the shape of the other newtons has been disappointing.
You have done it again. I cannot wait to make these...OMG!!! :-)
Love & Light,
Tee
Thanks Tee! So glad you like 'em :-)
These look so good! I think you may have saved my sanity with your almond flour recipes.
My hubby just decided to go gluten free to help some of his symptoms and I was despairing of all the starch in many of the recipes... even the more creative ones.
BTW, I did look at your license - so, it's ok to share your recipes-free, of course? like from a bulk food store? or to sell product made with your recipes and include where I got the recipe?
Thanks so much!
Linda
Linda, that is such a sweet comment, I really appreciate it! I know, the starch is a bummer in so many gluten free recipes. Yes, it is ok to share the recipes along with giving the appropriate credit back to me and my website. Thanks so much for your comment and for stopping by!
Well, I made the fig newtons and hubby liked them, he says they're the first gluten free treat he's had that is moist.
Only problem is I used honey and molasses and it was all very sticky and almost impossible to work with except I was using parchment paper - phew! It's just that agave syrup is prohibitively expensive for use and I haven't found yacon syrup yet. I had even added 1/3 cup of almond flour, but still too sticky.
Since he loves them, I will try again, with less honey.
Linda
I just tried this recipe and had some difficulties getting it to work the way you did. It still tasted delicious though. Check out my blog to see my "creative" version! :-)
Hi Katrina, thanks for your comment. I went to your lovely site and looked at the Fig Newtons. From what I could tell it was either a course almond flour (such as Bob's) or maybe just not quite enough almond flour in the mixture (I scoop my almond flour out of a glass jar which packs it down a bit and really need to convey this better to readers). Either way, it looks like you had some tasty success in the end. Thanks again for stopping by and sharing!
Hi, I ordered almond flour so I could try your fig newton recipe. While I was on the Honeyville site, I saw they also sold dehydrated egg whites, so I ordered these as well. When they came I read the label and was very disappointed to find that the egg whites are processed on equipment that also processes products containing soy, wheat,egg, peanut and tree nuts. So there is a risk of cross contamination. I will have to send the egg whites back. Can you recommend a source for gluten free egg whites?
Thanks,
Mara
Hello Elena,
Wow you are so clever, my son loves your simple bread that I make a little different as he has a problem with agave syrup and we cant get the other, therfore as fig is our all time fave, can i change this recipe to honey as well and if so what are the quantaties? also we have a fig tree and would love to use the fresh ones is this possible in the recipe?? or do they need to be firm?
thanks again for your lovely site and great recipes
Michelle
Hello!
I've just found your site and am hooked!
Just wondering if you could directly sub molasses for the yacon syrup?
Thanks!
Can you use fresh figs? And what ratio? I have beautiful fresh figs from a friend and I need to use them soon. I love fig newtons and I miss them and want to make some.
Also, can I blanch my own almonds and use the food processor to make blanched almond flour? Is it possible?
you could put ANYTHING in the middle of these, nut butter and apple butter, something gingery with honey, or chai and coconut!!!
Hi Elana,
I found your site a few weeks ago and have been trying your recipes non-stop since. I made these Fig Newtons tonight and they are awesome. I also ordered your cookbook this weekend and am really looking forward to receiving it. I have two little boys and, thankfully, none of us have any food sensitivities. I just like to incorporate a variety of different things into our diets. Who says we HAVE to eat gluten all of the time just because we're not allegic to it? That's what I keep telling my husband, anyways, who has been very patient with me and my quest for the perfect diet. Your recipes have helped make a compelling argument, so thanks for that! Happy Thanksgiving!
Can you use any thing else for the filing???
Hi Elana,
I found your site while researching for some gluten free recipes to make my dad who has arthritis of the spine and has felt some significant improvement since going grain free.
His all time favorite snack is fig newtons so I am happy to have found this recipe but I am just wondering if honey could replace the agave nectar yacon syrup so I don't have to run around buying all different ingredients. Also, your breads look amazing but I noticed you do not use yeast so I am wondering how it would rise?