Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Figgy Newtons

We continue to enjoy the bounty of our Fig Tree.  I’ll pick about 10 or 12 figs off the tree, then a few short days later more figs are ready to big picked.  A couple of weeks ago I made Easy Fig Jam. It was my first time making anything with figs. This time I stepped way out of comfort zone and made chocolate chip fig newtons.

These cookies were a bit labor intensive which means I needed all the help I could get.  M quickly volunteered to be my kitchen helper for the day.

I split up the prep for the cookies into two days. I had to cook the figs, which had to cool completely, and the cookie dough needed to be chilled for at least 3 hours or overnight. On day one I picked the figs, chopped them up, and made some fig preserves. Once the preserves were cooked I pulsed them in the food processor to make them nice and smooth. Next I made the cookie dough. Both the fig preserves and the cookie chilled in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day M and I rolled out the dough. I was surprised at how thin the dough needed to be. But once I thought about it, the cookie layer for a fig newton is very thin. I cut the dough into strips, spread the fig preserves, topped with chocolate chips, then very carefully folded the dough over the chocolate covered preserves.

Next, I cut the cookies into bars and carefully transferred them to a cookie sheet. You can use either a silpat or parchment paper.

The cookies turned out great! Aside from some of the cookie dough breaking (due to my clumsiness) they were delicious!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Fig Newtons

Fig Filling:

• 10-12 fresh figs, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar

Combine water & sugar in medium saucepan. Bring to medium-high heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add figs, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour stirring occasionally until liquid is reduced. Place fig preserves in either a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Let fig filling cool completely. I placed mine in the fridge overnight.

Cookie: (recipe adapted from Oh Nuts)

• 1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter & sugar with an electric or hand mixer for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla and egg white. Mix until blended.  Slowly add in flour and mix until a dough forms. Using your hands, form a large ball with the dough and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Once the dough has been refrigerated, roll dough into a rectangle that is 16 inches long and 12 inches wide. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into strips that are 4 inches wide and 12 inches long. Divide fig filling into fourths. Fill each strip of dough with 1/4 of the fig filling. Top with just a few chocolate chips (optional) and gently fold over the dough on each side. Cut strips into 2 inch bars and carefully place on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

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• By Estella
• September 23, 2011
• 9 comments
• Filed in Recipes
• Tagged in Chocolate Chip Fig Newtons cookie Homemade Fig Newtons Whole Wheat Fig Newtons