Muscovado Fig Newtons

Muscovado Fig Newtons

I have a hunch these would be really nice with oat flour as well, so next time I’ll try them with 1 cup of all-purpose flour,  1 cup of oat flour, and 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour and see where it gets us. I also have a hunch (that Sam’s confirmed) that the dough would be wonderful with a bit of orange zest, so I’ll  sprinkle in some next time. Let me know if you make any adaptations you like.

Ever-so slightly adapted from Classic Snacks Made From Scratch  

Ingredients

Fig Newtons:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
12 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup muscovado sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar (or turbinado sugar if you prefer only natural cane sugars)
3 large eggs

Filling:

8 ounces dried Mission figs, quartered, with tough stems removed
2 cups fresh orange juice
1/4 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

Make the dough: Sift the flours, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, muscovado sugar, and granulated sugar together for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is fluffy and beige in color. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between each addition. Add the dry ingredients gradually to make a soft, sticky dough (I was nervous the dough was too dry — my mixer was struggling — but it turned out perfectly, so if your mixer struggles, just let it continue on). Separate the dough into four pieces and form into flat disks. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

 Make the filling: While the dough is chilling, stir the figs, orange juice, sugar and ginger together in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the figs are soft and the liquid has a jammy consistency, about 35-45 minutes (I used the back of a wooden spoon to mush some of the figs down to help it reach that jamminess).  Transfer the fig filling to a food processor and pulse until pureed but a little chunky. Cool to room temperature.  

Putting them together: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. On a floured work surface, take one of the dough quadrants out of the refrigerator . Roll into an 8 x 10 -inch rectangle approximately 1/4-inch thick. Trim the edges evenly, using a pastry cutter or sharp knife.

Spread one quarter of the fig filling onto half of the dough rectangle. Fold the uncovered half over the filling to make a long, sandwich cookie. Slice the filled rectangle into four equal pieces and then cut each of those piece in half (should yield 8 cookies total). Transfer the cookies to the lined baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining three pieces of dough. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown. Cool on wire racks before serving. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.