A Clean Bake

Homemade Fig Newtons (Gluten Free and Paleo)

Dairy Free
Gluten Free
Paleo
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Skip the packaged cookies because grain free, naturally sweetened and paleo fig newtons are so easy to make at home!
Homemade fig newtons in a pastry box with tissue. This gluten free and paleo fig newton recipe is delicious, all natural, and fun!

I made the mistake of opening my pantry last weekend, from where the leftover figs languishing there from this recipe began screaming at me to put them out of their misery. They asked me not once, not twice, but three times to do something with them already, and wouldn’t stop screaming until I complied. For some people, the voices in their head are multiple personalities. For me, they’re leftover figs.

There are some recipes that are painstakingly planned and then there are others that jump out of the woodwork, burrow into your brain, and won’t let you think about anything else (least of all the recipe you’d actually planned to make) until you’ve successfully conquered it.

On a completely unrelated note, please don’t ask me how many homemade fig newtons are in my fridge right now.

Homemade fig newtons in a pastry box with tissue. This gluten free and paleo fig newton recipe is delicious, all natural, and fun!

How to Make Homemade Fig Newtons

Luckily, there is no such thing as too many homemade fig newtons. They’re delicate and flaky — but only when they’re fresh from the oven; after a night in a tupperware they soften up into a more fig-newtony-cakey texture, so you get the best of both worlds.

How to Make the Fig Newton Filling

Oh, the filling! Oy. Don’t even start with me. It’s SO. GOOD.

Somehow, only four basic grocery store ingredients (plus salt) transform into something transcendent with nothing more than a tap of your magic wand. Actually a whirl in the food processor, but those are pretty much the same thing, in my book.

While I stand by my equating a food processor with a magician, you’ll need to do a little work before tossing your figs into my favorite kitchen appliance. And by a little work, all I suggest is that you soak your figs in a large bowl with one cup water for 3–5 minutes so they puree more smoothly (that wasn’t so hard, now was it?).

Combine your figs with orange zest, orange juice, maple syrup, cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (optional) and sea salt in your food processor. Pulse a few times, until your fig filling forms a chunky paste, and you’re done. 

How to Make the Grain-Free Crust

These fig newtons use a blend of almond flour, coconut flour, and tapioca starch to create a flour mix that will produce the cake-like texture you’re looking for in a good fig newton crust. 

If you’re new to gluten-free baking, the process is incredibly similar to “regular” baking — with a few exceptions, of course. You’ll start with the dry ingredients, pulsing your three flours and salt in a food processor until well combined. If you don’t have a food processor, use a hand mixer.

From there, pour in your wet ingredients, adding the egg (egg yolk and all) and maple syrup. Finally, add cubed, unsalted butter to your flour mixture. Continue to pulse the mixture until a dough-like ball forms. It should have the same consistency of cookie dough, minus the chocolate chips. 

Once the dough is formed, you will divide it into two equal balls. Place one ball in between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper and roll out with a rolling pin. Roll your dough into two rectangles, then divide each rectangle in half to form four strips. 

Homemade fig newtons in a pastry box with tissue. This gluten free and paleo fig newton recipe is delicious, all natural, and fun!

Tips for Gluten Free Fig Newton Success

These fig newton require you to be one part baker and one part artist, and if you’re reading this thinking, “I am neither,” then allow me to put your mind at ease. I will not answer every question you have regarding this recipe*:

*Give or take. Leave me a comment below the post if you have any questions I didn’t answer!

“Can I Substitute A Different Gluten-Free Flour?” 

Ah, if I had a quarter for every time someone asked me this question.

Unfortunately, no; you cannot substitute one gluten-free or grain-free flour for another. Baking is chemistry, and to use another flour will completely change the consistency of your end product. 

Unlike all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, which can be substituted at a 1:1 ratio, gluten-free flours behave completely differently from each other, producing drastically different flavors, textures, and consistencies in the end product if you try to sub one for another. Therefore, they cannot be substituted for one another. Luckily I have tested (and re-tested…and re-tested) the perfect blend for your fig newtons.

“I’m Lactose Intolerant. Can I Make These Dairy-free?”

Absolutely! As you’ll see in the recipe notes, you can lose the butter altogether and use ¼ cup of  coconut oil in its place. The coconut oil should be melted, yet slightly cooled. My rule of thumb is that it should be pure liquid, but cool enough to hold your fingertip in, comfortably, for 5 seconds. That’s how you know it is the right temperature. 

“Can I Make This Recipe Sugar-Free?”

Oh, if only that were possible (cue whimpering sound). 

Figs, like other dried fruits, have quite a bit of natural sugar. Therefore, it would be nearly impossible to create a sugar-free fig newton. 

You can take comfort in the fact that maple syrup is certainly a lower-glycemic alternative to white sugar or light brown sugar, and you can always substitute honey one-to-one for the maple syrup, or add several drops of liquid monk fruit  or stevia, to taste. If you use monk fruit, however, you may need to add a tablespoon or so of water to the filling, and 1-2 tablespoons of additional fat (butter or coconut oil) to the crust, to account for the liquid that is missing when you omit the maple syrup. Just about a teaspoon at a time until the filling forms a very thick, spreadable paste. You do not need to do this is you are using honey instead of maple syrup, only if you’re using liquid monk fruit or stevia. 

“Can I Use Fresh Figs?”

While fresh figs from a fig tree sound completely dreamy, they’re not what you want in this particular recipe. If you love fig newtons — the classic version, that is — you’ll need dried figs. 

A fresh fig will throw off the consistency of the filling, and won’t give it that dense, chunky consistency you’re looking for, and will add far too much liquid to the filling. Nobody likes a soggy fig newton!

“I’m Struggling Adding The Fig Mixture To The Dough…Any Suggestions?”

You will roll these fig newtons the same way you would cinnamon rolls — which can be a tricky process. To spare you a few headaches, allow me to offer the following suggestions: 

1) have a clear work surface, so you can easily roll your fig newtons into logs; and 

2) use a pastry bag to “pipe” the fig filling onto your crust. No need to use a fancy pastry bag; I just put the filling in a large zip-top bag and snip the corner off. Then you can use that to neatly squeeze the filling in a zig zag pattern across the crust, to evenly distribute it and minimize too much aggressive spreading on the delicate crust. 

Homemade fig newtons in a pastry box with tissue. This gluten free and paleo fig newton recipe is delicious, all natural, and fun!

Recipe Variations & Substitutions For Fig Newtons 

I put my own spin on these fig newton cookies, adding a hint of orange zest and making them grain-free. If you’re looking to put your own unique take on this recipe, or if you simply have a question regarding recipe substitutions, I answer them below. If you have another question I didn’t address, let me know in the comments!

  • Drop the orange zest: I used orange as an accent ingredient in this recipe, but you can omit it entirely if you’re looking for a more classic fig newton taste.
  • Make fig bars or fig cookies instead: To make fig bars, press half of the dough into a greased 8”x8” pan and pre-bake at 350F for about 10-15 minutes. Then spread the filling on top, add the remaining dough on top and press into an even layer with your fingertips. Bake until the dough is cooked through, 30-40 minutes or so. To make fig cookies, you can roll the dough into small balls, and use your thumb or the back of a measuring spoon to create a well in the center. Fill the well with filling and bake 15-20 minutes, or until the cookies are firm. Watch carefully to prevent the filling from burning. 
  • Orange juice: You can use lemon juice or apple juice instead
    Tapioca flour: You can substitute 1:1 for arrowroot flour.
  • Maple syrup: Feel free to use honey instead.
  • Butter: You can use 1/4 cup of melted coconut flour as a dairy-free alternative.
  • Pumpkin spice: If you don’t have pumpkin spice on hand, you can use cinnamon.

Voila: A Fig Newton Recipe With A Grain-free Crust 

Since everyone in the known universe has at least some vague familiarity with fig newtons, I assume they need no introduction. So just imagine the newtons you know, but with a more delicate crust, a less aggressively-sweet filling and a hint of fruitiness and spice.

Plus, of course, not a hint of gluten, grain or refined sugar in sight, but I dare you to try to convince anyone of that.

 

Homemade Fig Newtons

Homemade Fig Newtons

Yield: 24 cookies
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Skip the packaged cookies because grain free, naturally sweetened and paleo fig newtons are so easy to make at home!

Ingredients

Ingredients for the filling

  • 1 cup dried black mission figs, quartered, stems removed
  • 1 Tablespoon orange zest, (**do not pack**; optional or to taste - feel free to omit!)
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh orange juice
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • Pinch fine sea salt

Ingredients for the crust

  • 1 cup blanched almond flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup tapioca starch/flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes (see note for dairy-free alternative)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Cover a standard baking pan with parchment paper or a nonstick pad and set aside.
  2. Place the figs in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Soak for 3-5 minutes until softened, then drain and discard the soaking liquid. If your figs are very soft to start with, skip this step. 
  3. Make the filling: Pulse the figs a few times in the food processor to roughly chop, then add the remaining filling ingredients and puree into a chunky paste. Stop and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure everything is evenly incorporated.
  4. Transfer the filling to a small bowl and set side. Wash and dry the food processor.
  5. Make the crust: Pulse the almond, coconut and tapioca flours, and the salt together several times to combine. Add the egg and maple syrup, and process for a few seconds to combine.
  6. Add the butter and process until the dough comes together into a ball. You shouldn't be able to see any large clumps of butter left in the dough.
  7. Divide the dough in half and gather each half into a ball. Place one ball of dough on a piece of wax paper, cover with another piece of wax paper, and roll out into a rectangle (dough should be about 1/2 cm thick).
  8. Slice the rectangle in half lengthwise to form two long strips.
  9. Divide the filling into four equal portions and spread one portion along the length of each of the two strips of dough (set aside the other two portions of filling for the moment), leaving about a 1/2" border of dough.
  10. Pick up the wax paper and use it to gently fold each strip of dough over onto itself, forming two filled logs. Gently press the edges together to seal each log and then carefully transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each slightly with the heel of your hand.
  11. Repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling. You should have a total of four logs.
  12. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the logs are slightly golden around the edges.
  13. Let cool until they are comfortable enough to handle, then cut into 1 1/2" - 2" slices and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Notes

  • To make this dairy free, replace the butter with 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled. Your dough will be very sticky, so wrap it tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour until firm before you roll it out.
  • If you don't have pumpkin pie spice handy, replace it with cinnamon.
  • The orange zest gives these a distinct orange (accent) flavor, which is obviously different than the flavor of the packaged cookies. If you're going for the authentic fig newton experience, omit the orange zest.
  • Note that the texture when they're right out of the oven will be slightly flaky, but as soon as you store them, the moisture redistributes slightly and they become more cakey, like packaged fig newtons. Either way, they're still good!
  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days, or in the freezer for up to three months.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 85Saturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 23mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave me a comment and rating, or tag me on Instagram using @nora_acleanbake or #acleanbake!

© Nora (A Clean Bake)
Cuisine: American / Category: Brownies, Blondies, and Bar Cookies


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Comments

  3. Nicoletta @sugarlovespices says

    Ah ah, I’ve also made fig newtons some time ago, because I wanted to get rid of some figs (and some apricots) drying out in the pantry 🙂 . But I agree, once you try the homemade ones, you’ll never go back to store bought. I love your version with coconut flour and almond flour! They look gorgeous!

    Reply

  5. Megan says

    I’ve been wanting to make fig newtons forever. The assembly part always intimidates me and I end up passing but these look too good to pass on.

    Reply

    • Nora (A Clean Bake) says

      I hear you – seriously! I always assumed it would be really tricky, but it’s not if you just work quickly and use the parchment paper (which allows you to just flip the dough back onto itself – then you just pinch the seam and voila!)

      I hope you get to try these!

      Reply

    • Nora (A Clean Bake) says

      Yes, that should be fine! Coconut oil dough tends to bake faster, though, so keep and eye on it and pull it out when it stars browning, which will probably be a few minutes sooner than the recipes states.

      Reply

  8. June @ How to Philosophize with Cake says

    Ahh those look just perfect! They look just like the storebought kind, but I’m sure they taste much better–because of course homemade is always better 🙂 I’ll definitely have to try making these someday, they actually don’t sound too difficult…

    Reply

    • Nora (A Clean Bake) says

      Thank you so much!! I agree – homemade is always (ok most of the time) better. They’re really much easier than they look and I think than the recipe makes them sound. The steps are precise but not hard. Let me know if you get a chance to make them! I’d be curious to know how they turn out with an egg replacement product (you still don’t eat eggs, right?).

      Reply

  9. Shannon says

    Your site is by far one of my favorites to visit every day for new delicious recipes that are actually good for me and my family. I appreciate so much how healthy you try to make even the desserts and there is so much variety! Everything always tastes delicious too. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to making a grain free/ gluten free/ dairy free/ low sugar life easier for me. ☺️

    Reply

    • Nora (A Clean Bake) says

      Shannon, I think you made my day – no, week! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your comment. Readers like you are keep me and this site going and it means so much to me to hear from you 🙂 Thank you so much for following along!

      Reply

  10. Monica says

    Wow! What a dream come true; fig newtons were my favorite snacks as a child, and I love that you made a paleo version. Your description sounds on point, and the flaky chewy fig newtons look amazing. Thanks for sharing! (:

    Reply

  11. Katie @ 24 Carrot Life says

    I just made these (finally) and they turned out delicious! Mine look nothing like yours and are not camera-ready haha. I has some issues folding and moving them but who cares if they taste good, right?! Great recipe 🙂

    Reply

    • Nora (A Clean Bake) says

      I’m so glad you liked them!! The dough is tricky, so don’t worry if they weren’t perfect. Mine took some practice and some finagling too. Since the dough doesn’t have any gluten or gums in it, it’s bound to crack a little bit but from what I saw on Instagram, yours held together really well and looked beautiful!

      Reply

  12. Sharon says

    Just made these.. Made twenty cookies and my dough was rolled much thinner. I think I might just make two batches of dough next time to get the same number of cookies but thicker crust. . I subbed in coconut oil and it worked fine and baked only about 17 mins to brown. The taste and texture of the filling is lovely, although I might skip the orange essence next time, not my hubbys favorite although it lends a very foodie air to them. Some photos of the filling and dough layout might be nice. It was easy the way I did it as you recommended so not intimidating, but it was a bit of a guess on which way to split the dough.

    Reply

    • Nora (A Clean Bake) says

      Hi Sharon! Thanks so much for all of the feedback. You’re TOTALLY right that I am not great at remembering to take process pictures but they’d be really helpful here. I’ll make a note to add some! I’m thrilled that you and your family enjoyed these, and definitely feel free to leave out the orange if it’s not your hubby’s favorite!

      Reply

  13. karen says

    Oh, if I were to count the times my husband and son said how much they miss these over the past three years since we changed to a healthier diet, I’d be here counting to infinity.

    We did occasionally buy the store made ones, but this recipe looked at me and MADE me try it! You dared me! While mine look sad compared to your lovely pics, they are heavenly and scrumptious! This will definitely be a repeat for us! I will need to perfect my technique, however!

    Thanks a ton for the great recipe!

    Reply

  14. Katie says

    What would be a suitable replacement for the almond flour? Cashew meal? (I’m allergic to almonds, bummer!). Also, can you sub anything for monk fruit sweetener, like coconut sugar? I don’t have the former on hand and I’m not a huge fan of stevia… thank you for your help, these look divine!

    Reply

    • Nora (A Clean Bake) says

      Hi Katie! To be honest, I don’t have a simple answer for you. Each nut flour has a slightly different fat content, so if you replace it with cashew meal, it would probably be too moist and the dough would fall apart. You can definitely sub the monk fruit sweetener out for coconut sugar, though coconut sugar is a little bit less sweet than monk fruit so you will probably need to increase the amount a little bit compared to what the recipe calls for.

      Reply

  16. Emily says

    oh my gosh, those look so good (and just like regular fig newtons!)…thank you!!! since going gluten and dairy-free, i’ve missed fig newtons. i can’t wait to make these!! do you think granulated truvia would work instead of the monkfruit sweetener?

    Reply

    • Nora (A Clean Bake) says

      Hi Emily! Yes, I think granulated Truvia would work just fine. It’s recommend tasting it a little bit though because I don’t know off the top of my head how the sweetness of Truvia compares to monk fruit. Let me know how it goes!

      Reply

      • Angie says

        Step 5 in the instructions say to “add sweetener…” NOT referring to the maple syrup. And I’ve seen comments referring to monk fruit sweetener, which I don’t see in the ingredients at all. Is there supposed to be an additional sweetener in the dough?

        Reply

  17. Betty says

    Is there any way to start this recipe with fresh figs? I have a fig tree in backyard and frozen figs in my freezer I would love to use here.

    Reply

  18. LeeAnn says

    These look great! I was wondering if I could use a combination of oat flour and some rice flour? I have our on hand. My hubby doesn’t care for the taste of anything almond. Also have you ever tried adding blueberries till the filing? I love blueberry fig bars.

    Reply

    • Nora (A Clean Bake) says

      Hi LeeAnn, unfortunately oat and rice flours wouldn’t be a good substitution for almond flour. If you use blanched almond flour, it’s a little less nutty (though you can still taste a little almond-y flavor). I’m sorry! Nut flours work differently from grain flours so it’s not a good idea to swap one out for the other.

      As for the filling, go for it! I’d suggest replacing some of the fig with an equal amount of dried blueberries. It sounds like it will be delicious!

      Reply

  19. heather traner says

    I just made these and instead of butter I used Pumpkin puree. I also had to use reg corn starch, as I didn’t have the tapioca starch. The badder was tough to handle. I put in fridge for a while and spayed the paper as well. Still tough I’m sure b/c it was missing the fat in the butter. I finagled them together tho and while they didn’t look that great, they were de-licious! I also didn’t get 24 cookies out of them. Maybe like 20 small ones. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe! Super yum!

    Reply

  21. Serita says

    Can arrowroot flour be substituted for tapioca flour and if so what would be the result? Also, would cloves work in place of cinnamon. This sounds really good and I want to try it soon. Thank you.

    Reply

    • Nora (A Clean Bake) says

      Yes, it should be no problem to sub arrowroot flour for tapioca. You can use ground cloves in place of cinnamon, but I would only use a pinch or two (to taste). Cloves can be a lot stronger than cinnamon so start with a small amount!

      Reply

    • Lisa says

      well these have to be pictures of the real cookie. Mine certainly didn’t look like this…..and they tasted nothing like fig newtons. Plus it still is high in calories for 1/24th of the recipe which turns out to be about the size of 1/8 of an original fig newtons. I am pretty disappointed. It is sort of like these blogs that show you a recipe of a real biscuit with a keto recipe. Bait and switch.

      Reply

      • Nora (A Clean Bake) says

        Wow, that’s a baseless and, frankly, unfair accusation to make. I can assure you that every single photo on this post and every other post on this site is taken of the exact recipe as written. As to your complaint about calories, this is not a low-calorie recipe site, so you may simply be in the wrong place. Usually I’d try to help, so if you’re interested in considering that your results may be due to user error, please feel free to email me for troubleshooting assistance.

        Reply

  23. Wendy says

    I love the idea of making these as I, too, loved to raid my mom’s stash. (Yes, Mom, I knew where you hid them!) 😉

    The thing is that I’m allergic to nuts, so what would be a good substitute for the almond flour? For some recipes, I’ve used a mixture of Flaxmeal and Coconut flour. Do you think this might be feasible?

    Thank you for posting!!

    Reply

    • Nora (A Clean Bake) says

      Hi Wendy! I have not tried it in this recipe, but I’ve heard that sunflower seed flour is a good sub for almond flour. I would not sub flax/coconut because that is a very absorbent mixture which will work differently than almond flour does, and the dough will be extremely dry. You can get sunflower seed flour online (e.g. here) but you can also make it from raw seeds that are ground very finely in your blender or food processor.

      Reply

  24. Bethany says

    I guess I did something wrong because I ended up with not enough dough for the filling. I followed the exact measurements. And my dough was super sticky and hard to manage.

    Reply

  26. Angela Love says

    I tried this recipe and it was awesome. But I had to tweak it a little. I’m not sure if it was a typo, but 2 tablespoons of orange zest plus a tablespoon of orange juice was way too intense. I couldn’t taste the fig at all in the first batch. So I tried it again with a 1/2 teaspoon of zest and 1 teaspoon of juice and it was Much better.

    Reply

  28. Christy says

    This is a great recipe. I felt the texture for both the filling and the cookie crust were spot on. My only thing is it’s heavy on the orange flavor—which is fine, but I love the taste of figs and you couldn’t really taste that with all the orange. I will half the amount of orange next time. But a great recipe. It’s been added to my usual rotation since my girls and husband devoured them too! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  29. Kat says

    Just made these last night- turned out super tasty! I didn’t have tapioca starch on hand so I subbed it for an 1/8th cup of cornstarch. Also, I saw another recipe that said to cut and store the newtons in between paper towels in an airtight container while they are still warm. I let them sit overnight that way and it worked really well to make them soft and moist!

    Reply

  30. Carol Glor says

    These were amazing! Perfect combination of butter and sweetness. Transferring dough to pan was tricky but even the misfits tasted delicious.

    Reply

  31. Joan says

    I made these twice already to rave reviews, and now I’m going to enter them in the State Fair baking competition. I’m wondering if you have any tips for slicing them at the end so they have a perfect, clean edge. Mine get slightly crumbly when I slice, and those judges demand perfection! Thanks!

    Reply

  32. Joan says

    Nope – you can use any recipe you want. It’s about baking skill and technique. They even have one contest where they give everyone the same recipe and the best version wins. You’d be surprised by all the variations. As you can see from all the comments here that not everyone can achieve the same results with a recipe!

    Reply

  33. Janine Beasley says

    Fig Newtons were always one of my absolutely favorite cookies!! Being gluten free does present some challenges and you miss a lot of your favorite foods. I saw this and had to try it! For those of you who are intimidated, there seem to be a lot of steps, but it is just laid out to where it is easy to understand. Just follow the steps pretty much exactly for assembly and you can’t go wrong. It’s really not hard. I am enjoying them right now!!! My pinch of salt must have been smaller than your pinch of salt, or maybe I’m just craving salt right now, but next time I will add a little more salt to the crust. I do have a confession: I used fresh figs. I didn’t have dried figs, I did have fresh figs, and I’m stubborn and determined. I just cooked them down until they were almost dry, to what I imagined was the consistency of yours. I didn’t have orange juice so I used lemon juice instead, but I will try it again with orange juice – and maybe the zest, too!! I added a little honey to the mix, because dried fruit tends to be sweeter than fresh fruit. Not much, though!! I must have done an OK job, because they are not soggy!! And they are really yummy!!!

    Reply

  34. Dorian Carter says

    I double-ordered figs and have them coming out my ears and elsewhere! Unfortunately they’re Smyrna figs! Can I substitute those in what I suspect is your fabulous recipe?

    Reply

  35. Lori says

    These look so good! Can’t wait to attempt these tomorrow! In the crust recipe it call a for butter cut into cubes, but is the butter cold or room temp?

    Reply

  39. Elaine Balogh says

    I made them today and they are delicious. I would leave out the orange zest next time but other than that we loved them. I’m thinking I probably could have exchanged stevia for the maple syrup but followed the recipe this time. Thanks for sharing it.

    Reply

  40. Melanie Albert says

    You can definitely use fresh figs, you just have to prepare it like you would any jam by cooking it down and letting the sweetener caramelize. Use granular sugar instead of syrup (I used monkfruit and it turned out great. You could also use coconut sugar, date sugar, or any other granular sweetener). Prepare as above, but transfer the fig mixture from the food processor to a small pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let it cool. You end up with a lovely pasty fig filling! It’s boils down to less than you initially have for the filling in this recipe, but I see a number of people say there isn’t quite enough dough or they wanted a thicker cookie crust, so it works out perfectly.
    Delicious recipe! Thank you!

    Reply

  44. Casandra says

    I think the dough still needs some work. It needs psyllium husk to keep it from falling apart, and there is too much coconut flour, which dries out the dough. I wouldn’t use more than one tablespoon of coconut flour at the most. I bake frequently and am disappointed in this recipe.

    Reply

    • Nora (A Clean Bake) says

      It sounds like you may have measured your coconut flour improperly (packed it in to the measuring cup instead of loosely spooning and leveling). While you’re right the dough is not pliable and requires a gentle touch, it should not be dry.

      Reply

  45. Patty says

    Looking forward to trying these as the recipe suggests. However, also thinking of trying them “open face” for half the dough and less time. Have you ever tried more like a “bar” cookie, no folding/top crust?

    Reply

  46. Medea says

    I am allergic to coconut. What could I use to replace the coconut flour? I love gluten free fig newtons! Am looking forward to trying this recipe.

    Reply

  47. Lydia says

    Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for sharing this recipe!! I haven’t had a Fig Newton since going grain-free for medical reasons 3+ ;years ago. These are amazing!

    Reply

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