Homemade Fig Newtons {Leftovers Club!}

When I was little, I would have felt a bit ripped off if you offered me a cookie and then handed me a Fig Newton.  There were enough Oreos and Chips Ahoy in my life that I knew a cookie when I saw one!  Of course fruit or no fruit, a cookie is exactly what they are and anyone who thinks otherwise is fooling themselves.  Regardless, they were my cookie of last resort.  However, over the past few years I have developed a passion for figs.  When I started seeing recipes for homemade Fig Newtons, I knew I had to make them regardless of what my childhood self thought of their commercial counterpart.

And oh man, these cookies did not disappoint!  (And I’ll call them what they are, because while they may be vegan, paleo and gluten-free they are no less packed with sugar!  We must remember that these labels are an indication of whether a food contains animal products or wheat, and say nothing else about the food!)  Unlike homemade Samoas, which I deemed really best left to the Girl Scouts, these are not super difficult to make and I found them to be far better than anything I remember coming out of a package!  In fact it’s a good thing I had to pack some of these babies up and send them off to my Leftover’s Club pal Jennifer of Recipe for Random, or I might have finished them all by myself!

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Homemade “Fig Newtons” (Vegan, Paleo and Gluten-Free)

(The are a million recipes out there!  Mine is an adapted variation of this one and this one.  I had planned to incorporate components of a couple of other recipes next time I made these, but they turned out so well I really don’t want to change a thing!)

For the filling:

• 12 dried figs
• 3-4 medjool dates, pitted
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

For the crust:

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup honey (substitute agave if vegan)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. To make the crust, combine almond flour and salt in a medium sized bowl.  Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  Slowly add dry ingredients to wet, stirring well until a dough is formed. Chill dough in refrigerator for about an hour.
3. While dough is chilling, prepare your filling. In a food processor, combine all filling ingredients until a thick gel forms.
4. After an hour, remove dough from refrigerator and separate into four equal parts. Roll each part into a rectangle shape (about 5 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick) on a sheer of parchment paper.  Cut off rounded edges as needed to create a symmetrical rectangle.
5. Spoon 1/4 of filling evenly onto each piece of dough, leaving a bit of an edge for when you flip the other side over.
6. Carefully fold one side onto the other lengthwise.  Use your fingers to press dough together where the two edges meet.
7. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Carefully shape and lengthen as necessary. You will end up with four “logs” of Fig Newton. 
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before cutting.

Makes 2 dozen Fig Bars

Johanna