These Gluten-Free Fig Newtons are actually better than the full-gluten source material. Great texture, and great flavour - inside AND out.
This past week, I was in Chicago for a convention. It went very well - TONS of fun, loads of laughs, great time spent with friends, as always. This is a yearly event that I cater a dessert (and, more recently, some savoury apps as well!) for.
It's always very well received, but this year I did something different - I made the entire menu gluten-free. Given that only a small number of attendees are GF, I was really nervous. GF food has such a bad rep, would they even TRY it?
Well, given the reviews that I've been getting for Beyond Flour: A Fresh Approach to Gluten-Free Cooking & Baking, I probably shouldn't have been worried.
The whole spread went over SUPER well, with many people declaring that they would have had no idea it was GF. Three people even told me that they adored my mushroom turnovers... even though they hate mushrooms! What a compliment!
Now, time to get back to work!
Gluten-Free Fig Newtons
So, let me share one of the most popular recipes from Beyond Flour - Fig Newtons!
This recipe takes a little bit of doing - the filling needs to be made and cooled, the dough needs to be chilled - but the result is well worth the time and effort.
This produces a fragrant, delicious cookie that is sure to satisfy your comfort food cravings.
They are - IMHO - even better than the original, full-gluten store-bought original!
How to Assemble Gluten-Free Fig Newtons
1. Divide dough into 4 equal balls. Generously sprinkle clean work surface with corn starch. Roll one dough ball into a long, thin, and narrow strip – about 4″ x 12″. Trim to square up / tidy the edges.
2. Stir cooled fig mixture to incorporate any condensation that has developed. Transfer about one quarter of the filling to a pastry bag, or heavyweight plastic bag with a corner cut off – either way, you’ll want about ½″ diameter opening.
3. Pipe a long, fat line of filling up the center of the rolled dough, using up all of the filling in the bag. Use a clean spoon to gently spread the filling to a width of slightly more than 1″.
5. Gently flip over, slice into cookies (About 1.5″ long pieces), and gently transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
7. Remove cookies from baking sheet, immediately cover with plastic wrap or – as we do – a long cake pan. Allow to steam/cool like this for at least 30 minutes.
While these CAN be eaten right away, it’s best to let them sit overnight to let the moisture levels of the filling / cookie balance out a bit.
More Gluten-Free Cookies!
Looking for even more fantastic gluten-free cookies that *everyone* will love? Look no further!
Gluten-Free Apple Pie Cookies
Gluten Free Candy Cane Cookies
Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Cookies
Gluten Free Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Gluten-Free Chewy Chocolate Cookies
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gluten-Free Cowboy Cookies
Gluten-Free Do-Si-Dos
Gluten Free Fruitcake Cookies
Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies
Gluten Free Graham Crackers
Gluten-Free Imperial Cookies
Gluten-Free Jacques Torres Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gluten Free Oatmeal Butterscotch Cardamom Cookies
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Gluten Free Pecan Pie Cookies
Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cookies
Gluten Free Sandwich Cookies
Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies
Gluten Free Snickerdoodles
Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies for Decorating
Gluten Free Unicorn Poop Cookies
... and there’s even more - be sure to check out our Gluten-Free Cookies and Bars recipe section!
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Gluten-Free Fig Newtons
Equipment
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
Cookie
- ½ cup Butter softened
- ¼ cup Granulated sugar
- ¼ cup Brown sugar packed
- 1 Large egg
- 1 tablespoon Orange juice
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Zest of ½ orange
- ½ cup White rice flour
- ½ cup Sorghum flour
- ¼ cup Coconut flour
- ¼ cup Millet flour
- 1 tablespoon Tapioca Starch/Flour
- 1 teaspoon Xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
Filling:
- 12 oz Dried mission figs
- ⅓ cup Water
- Zest of ½ orange
- Pinch Salt
- Corn starch for rolling
Instructions
Cookie:
- In stand mixer, cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add egg, orange juice, vanilla, and orange zest, beat until everything is fully incorporated and smooth.
- In a large bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Slowly add this dry mix to the mixer bowl, and carefully mix until well incorporated and smooth. Chill dough for 1 hour.
To make the filling:
- Remove any stems from the dried figs, discard. Finely chop figs. Place into a saucepan with water, bring to a moil over medium-high heat. Once mixture starts to boil, cover and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed by the figs.
- Transfer fig mixture to food processor, along with orange zest and salt. Process until very smooth. Transfer to a clean bowl, loosely cover with plastic film, and allow to cool to room temperature.
To Assemble:
- Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C), line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Divide dough into 4 equal balls. Generously sprinkle clean work surface with corn starch. Roll one dough ball into a long, thin, and narrow strip – about 4″ x 12″. Trim to square up / tidy the edges.
- Stir cooled fig mixture to incorporate any condensation that has developed. Transfer about one quarter of the filling to a pastry bag, or heavyweight plastic bag with a corner cut off – either way, you’ll want about ½″ diameter opening.
- Pipe a long, fat line of filling up the center of the rolled dough, using up all of the filling in the bag. Use a clean spoon to gently spread the filling to a width of slightly more than 1″.
- Gently fold one long side of dough over the filling. Fold the other long side over that, forming a long tube of filled cookie. Gently flip over, slice into cookies (About 1.5″ long pieces), and gently transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until edges are just starting to turn golden brown. Do not over bake!
- Remove cookies from baking sheet, immediately cover with plastic wrap or – as we do – a long cake pan. Allow to steam/cool like this for at least 30 minutes. While these CAN be eaten right away, it’s best to let them sit overnight to let the moisture levels of the filling / cookie balance out a bit.
Nutrition
Wow, these are amazing! The recipe turned out absolutely perfectly with the texture and flavor being spot on! I have missed fig newtons since going gluten free a few years ago, and these were quite easy to put together. Thank you! I was so excited, I immediately ordered your cookbook, and am really looking forward to it.
This looks so good! Do you use this dough for any other recipes?
I haven't, but one of these days I'll try doing the other fruit newtons!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Honestly, I wouldn't know. They don't stick around very long!
I'm guessing they'd be good for at least 5, maybe 7 days if stored in an airtight container?
Can you use a flour blend such as Red Bob Mill 1to1 Baking flout?
I don't know.
Flour blends vary wildly on what's in it, I use my own combination of flours specific to each recipe, for the best results.
These were great! I added some dried cranberries to the filling and cinnamon, but other than that, followed the recipe exactly. The crust was perfect and even my husband who is not gluten free loved them.
I Just finished making the GF Fig Newtons. The only change to the dough was I used Cassava Flour instead of Tapioca Flour(did not have any). For the filling, I had fresh figs and was making some jam with bourbon and lemon juice/zest. The cookies came out very good, the dough is very flavorful, so will make it my go to for other “jam” style cookies.
It was hard to find a good GF fig bar recipe and this one is declicious. I replaced Egg with Flax Egg, Orange Juice with Apple Juice, and Sorghum Flour with coconut, and sugars for coconut sugar. They turned out great!