Gluten-Free Fig Newtons Recipe
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. They 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!
This recipe comes from my first Gluten-Free Cookbook, "Beyond Flour: A Fresh Approach to Gluten-Free Cooking & Baking". You should definitely check it out, either here on my site, or on Amazon!
Now, time to get back to work!
So, let me share one of the most popular recipes from Beyond Flour - Fig Newtons!
This recipe takes a 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.
Also, if you're interested in gluten-free cooking and baking, you should definitely check out my gluten-free cookbooks: Beyond Flour: A Fresh Approach to Gluten Free Cooking & Baking, and the sequel... Beyond Flour 2. You can order them right here on my website, through Amazon, or through any major bookseller.
Looking for more gluten-free cookie recipes that are as good or BETTER than the full-gluten version? Look no further!
Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Cookies
Gluten-Free Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Gluten-Free Chewy Chocolate Salted Caramel Cookies
Gluten-Free Fruitcake Cookies
Gluten-Free Graham Crackers
Gluten-Free Imperial Cookies
Gluten-Free Oatmeal Butterscotch Cardamom Cookies
Gluten-Free Oatmeal Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies for Decorating
Gluten-Free Unicorn Poop Cookies
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Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!
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Well, the published nonsense, anyway!
Gluten-Free Fig Newtons
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookie
- ½ cup Butter softened
- ¼ cup Granulated sugar
- ¼ cup Brown sugar packed
- 1 Large egg
- 1 Tbsp Orange juice
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- Zest of ½ orange
- ½ cup White rice flour
- ½ cup Sorghum flour
- ¼ cup Coconut flour
- ¼ cup Millet flour
- 1 Tbsp Tapioca starch
- 1 tsp Xanthan gum
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp 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
Reader Interactions
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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.