Homemade fig cookies hold Newton-like appeal

Fig Newtons have been a staple of school lunch boxes for generations. This version uses fresh figs to make a Newton-like cookie, wrapped in yummy pastry.

These cookies take a little patience (and practice) to perfect, but the effort is worth it. Once mastered, this technique can be used for any jammy filling (including your favorite strawberry jam).

Don’t overfill the cookies; excess filling will squirt out through the bottom seam.

Black mission figs produce the closest taste-alike Newtons, but green varieties work, too.

Soft fig cookies with fresh fig filling

Makes 30 cookies

Ingredients:

For filling:

1 cup figs, chopped

½ fresh lemon

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup water

For pastry:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

¼ cup brown sugar

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Milk for brushing pastry

Instructions:

Make the filling: In a heavy saucepan, combine chopped figs with juice and zest of ½ lemon, ½ cup brown sugar and water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until mixture reaches desired consistency – thick and jammy. (Be careful it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.)

Remove from heat and chill filling until ready to use.

Make the pastry dough: In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together softened butter and ¼ cup brown sugar. With an electric mixer, beat until smooth. Add egg and beat some more. Add milk and vanilla.

On low speed, slowly add flour mixture, a little at a time, to form a stiff dough. Shape dough into a thick disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.

Chill dough at least 2 hours. (If chilled overnight, remove dough from the refrigerator for 15 minutes before rolling.)

Make the cookies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Remove fig filling from refrigerator and let warm to room temperature.

Flour another sheet of parchment paper. On the floured parchment, roll the dough out to form a 12-by-16-inch rectangle (or close to it), ¼ inch thick.

With a ruler or straightedge, cut dough into 3-inch wide strips. Spread a thin stripe of fig filling down the center of each dough strip. (Don’t overfill.)

Using floured fingers, gently roll one side of the pastry dough to cover the filling. Gently thin about ¼ inch along the opposite long edge of dough. Brush that edge with milk and fold over the filling, overlapping the dough from the first side (like sealing an envelope). Gently press to seal to form a long tube of fig-filled dough. Repeat with each strip of dough.

Gently roll the tube over so the seam side is down. With spatulas, transfer the tube to the parchment-covered baking sheet. Press down gently to slightly flatten.

Once all tubes are completed, transfer the baking sheet to the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.

While the cookies are chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes. (Cookies will just start to show color on top, but will be golden underneath.) Don’t overbake.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. With a sharp knife, cut tubes into pieces, each about 1-3/4 inches to 2 inches long. Finish cooling cookies on a rack.

Store cookies in a sealed container. These cookies also freeze well.