These Homemade Fig Newton Cookies are not only delicious but also paleo, gluten free, grain free, and refined sugar free. They are very similar to the store bought Fig Newton and completely yummy!
When you can't have gluten or dairy, you start to miss those classic treats you enjoyed before diet restrictions. If you love Fig Newtons but have food allergies or a special diet, this recipe is for you.
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My daughter and I did the Whole30 diet this Summer which got me interested in paleo baking. I have been experimenting a lot with grain free baking for the last few months and have created some amazingly good sweet recipes that don't have any sugar. It's not as sweet as the traditional cookie but still very satisfying. I used date sugar instead of regular sugar.
What is Paleo?
Eating foods that were available in the Paleolithic era (think caveman). Foods such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, healthy fats and oils. Foods to avoid: Processed foods, sugar, grains, dairy, legumes, and artificial sweeteners. A paleo diet is great for people that have a lot of food allergies.
A little about grain free flours
This recipe uses 4 types of grain free flours: almond flour, arrowroot flour, tapioca flour and coconut flour. Here's a little more information on each of these flours. They're all gluten free. All available at most health food stores or online.
Almond Flour - Finely ground almonds, sometimes called almond meal. Use the almond "flour" for this recipe.
Arrowroot Flour - Starch extracted from the arrowroot plant.
Tapioca Flour - Comes from the root of the cassava plant and adds structure to gluten free baking.
Coconut Flour - Flour made from the coconut pulp.
What is date sugar?
Date sugar is made from dehydrated, ground dates.
A great alternative to refined sugar, similar to brown sugar.
Find it in health food stores or order online.
Can I have this on Whole30?
I would say that this recipe is "Whole30 friendly" but not technically Whole30 compliant. If you want to have something sweet while following Whole30, try this recipe with a few substitutions. First, use coconut oil instead of butter. Then substitute apple sauce for maple syrup. If dough is too dry, add a few drops of water.
How to Make Homemade Fig Newton Cookies
1) Make the filling in a food processor using dried figs, lemon juice, date sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon.
2) Make the dough for the crust (recipe below).
3) Roll the dough out into two rectangles (7" x 10" each), fill and fold over the two sides lengthwise.
4) Place filled logs onto a parchment lined sheet pan, then cut into 1-inch pieces. Spread apart slightly.
5) Bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!
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Homemade Fig Newton Cookies
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1 â…“ cup dried figs I used 7 ounces of black mission figs
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup date sugar substitute coconut sugar, if desired
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
For the crust
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ cup arrowroot flour
- ¼ cup tapioca flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1 pinch salt I used pink himalayan salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup date sugar substitute coconut sugar, if desired
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted substitute coconut oil for dairy free
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a half sheet pan with raised edges (13" x 18") with parchment paper or nonstick silicone mat. Set aside.
- Remove stems from figs and cut into quarters. Place in a medium bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them soak for about 5 minutes. Drain liquid and set aside.
For the filling
- Place all of the filling ingredients (including the soaked figs) into a food processor. Process until you get a smooth and creamy paste. You might have to scrape the bowl a few times to make sure all of the ingredients are incorporated and pureed. Place in a small bowl, cover and set aside.
For the crust
- In a medium bowl, add all of the dry ingredients. Whisk together until fully incorporated. Set aside.
- Place the butter, date sugar, egg and maple syrup in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium until creamy. With mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture. Then beat on low until it resembles small to medium crumbs.
- Pour half of the crumbs onto a piece of wax paper. Repeat with remaining crumbs. Press and squeeze the crumbs into a ball of dough, then flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Place a second piece of wax paper on top of each. Roll out into a rectangle that measures about 7" x 10".
- Remove the top pieces of wax paper, then add the filling. Use half of the filling for each rectangle of dough. Spread it right down the middle of the rectangle, lengthwise. The filling section should be about 2 inches wide and 10 inches long.
- Use the wax paper to gently fold the dough over the filling on each side. Very gently press at seams, so the dough will stick together.
- Gently transfer the two cookie logs to your prepared sheet pan. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the dough into 1-inch cookies. Gently separate cookies so there is about an inch in between each one. You should have about 7 or 8 cookies per log.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown on the edges. Let cool and serve. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
Nutrition
You might also like:
Paleo Orange Blueberry Gluten Free Muffins
Paleo No-Bake Chocolate "Peanut Butter" Cookies
All text and images © Lise Ode for Mom Loves Baking. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be accurate. This post may contain affiliate links.
dezi says
Great tasting, Lise! Thank you for the recipe. These were easy to put together and they tasted good. I loved the slight lemon flavor in the background of the filling. Thank you, again for the recipe.
Gloria says
These are delicious! Since I decided wheat doesn't do my body any favors and have almost eliminated it from my diet, I practically stopped baking. These were very easy and turned out great.
Lise Ode says
Hi Gloria, I'm so glad you enjoyed these fig newtons!
Rebecca Holechek says
Can you substitute another fruit for the figs? Like blueberries, strawberries or even dates? I don't like the flavor of fig newtons but I always liked the other flavors.
Lise Ode says
Yes, I think you could substitute another dried fruit that you prefer.