Recreate your childhood snacking memories with these homemade fig bars. With their fruity, seedy filling, these tender fig bars are flavored with cinnamon, orange zest, and honey and conveniently made with dried figs.
I hadn’t had a Fig Newton for years, and when I finally bought a pack a few years ago as an adult, I was shocked at how bad it tasted. It certainly wasn't the Fig Newton I remembered from my school lunch bag.
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I’m sure the recipe has changed since I was a kid. I mean, they don't even call them Fig Newtons anymore. Now they're just Newtons.
Yet the original fig bar recipe originated in the late 1800s from a cookie maker in Ohio. He sold the recipe to the Kennedy Biscuit Company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which took advantage of the modern technology of 1891 to mass-produce the cookies.
The Kennedy Biscuit Company was known for naming its products after nearby towns, including Newton, Massachusetts, which is located about seven miles from Boston. Today, the company is known as Nabisco.
Unfortunately, you can't get fresh Newtons in Cambridge today, as the company's factories are now in New Jersey. But the original home of the Kennedy Biscuit Company is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sadly, I would have to advise against buying Fig Newtons today. The cookie lacks the taste of fruit, the sweetness is overwhelming, and it tastes highly artificial. A glance at the ingredient list explains why. It's packed with sugars, preservatives, and oils. It appears that by removing most of the fruit from the recipe and omitting the name of the fruit from the package, the expectation of finding any fruit in the cookie has vanished altogether.
Luckily, we can recreate the magic of good old Fig Newtons right at home.
If you enjoy classic treats you can make yourself, you'll also want to check out my recipes for Triple Ginger Gingersnaps, Brownies with Cherry Pie Filling, Crunchy Honeycomb Candy, and Honey Coconut Chocolates.
🍯Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make your own homemade fig bars.
Key Ingredients
Dried figs - You may have expected these bars to be made with fresh figs. Yet fresh figs are not always easy to find throughout the year. Surprisingly, dried figs quickly soften and plump up when cooked in liquid, making them a great alternative. Better yet, they’re cheap and easy to find in grocery stores no matter the season. Any variety will work for the bars.
Wheat flour - The combination of white and wheat flour contributes a hint of whole-grain flavor just like the original cookies.
Cinnamon - Although not a flavor in traditional fig bars, I like a hint of cinnamon in the cookie dough to add some sweet spice.
Honey - I like using some honey to make the fig jam filling. I think honey and figs are a delicious combination.
Orange zest - Helps to brighten up the fig filling.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and specific quantities.
🍒Substitutions and Variations
Adding other fruits - Try substituting up to ⅓ of the dried figs with another dried fruit, such as dried cranberries, raisins, blueberries, or cherries. This is a good way to add other fruit flavors to the fig bars.
Using fresh figs - While I have yet to try this myself, I don't see why it wouldn't work. Start by removing the stems from fresh, clean figs and giving them a rough chop, just as you would with the dried figs. Put them in the pan with the sugar and zest, as described, but reduce the water to just a splash to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook the figs until soft and blend. If the fig filling is watery and not thick, return the pan to the stove and continue to cook until you have a very thick and almost paste-like consistency. If it is at all watery, it will create a soggy, disappointing fig bar.
Wheat flour - If you'd rather use white flour and leave out the wheat flour, simply replace it with regular all-purpose flour. There won't be too much of a difference in taste.
🥄Instructions
Whisk together the dry ingredients.
Using a mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar. Then, add the egg and milk.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet.
Shape the dough into two rough rectangles and pop them in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, remove the stems from the dried figs and give them a rough chop.
Add the figs, sugar, and orange zest to a small pot with 1 cup of water. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until the figs are soft and the liquid has reduced.
Blend the figs until smooth in a blender or food processor. The result should be a very thick jam that is almost paste-like in consistency.
Spread the fig jam filling over the dough, leaving about a ½-inch border around the edges.
Fold each half of the dough inward and press the two edges together. Don't worry if there's a bit of tearing in the dough.
Use the parchment paper you rolled the dough out on to help you flip the bars onto a baking sheet lined with more parchment. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and firm. Cool slightly before slicing.
📋Top Tip
The fig bar dough is soft and can tear easily, so putting it in the fridge before rolling it out is important. Handle it delicately, but if it cracks a little as you shape the bars, don't worry. You can press it back together if needed.
🍪Storage
Store these homemade fig bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days. They would likely last beyond that, but as a soft cookie, they tend to lose their texture over time.
💬FAQs
Dried figs are an excellent baking ingredient. They quickly plump up and rehydrate when cooked or soaked in liquid, and they're incredibly versatile. They're also easier to find and more affordable than fresh figs.
If you want to try my fig bar recipe using fresh figs, start by removing the stems and giving them a rough chop, just as you would with the dried figs. Put them in the pan with the sugar and zest, as described, but reduce the water to just a splash to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook the figs until soft and blend. If the filling is watery and not thick, return the pan to the stove and continue to cook until you have a very thick and almost paste-like consistency.
If you notice that slight crunch when biting into a fig bar, that's because of the many seeds found in figs. The seeds are still present in dried figs, and you'll get that same crunch with this recipe.
🥣Related
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📖 Recipe
Homemade Fig Bars
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: makes about 16 large or 32 small bars 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Indulge in the nostalgia of homemade fig bars. Made with dried figs, cinnamon, and honey, these delicious bars taste like childhood.
Ingredients
For the pastry dough:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup milk
For the filling:
- 1 pound dried figs
- 1 cup of water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- zest of 1 orange
Instructions
- Make the dough. Whisk together the white and wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a second mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars until fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the egg and keep beating for another minute until creamy. Then, slowly add the dry ingredients until combined. Finally, stir in the milk until a soft dough forms, adding an additional splash or two if it's too dry.
- Shape the dough. Dump the dough out onto a floured surface. Divide it into two equal pieces, flatten it into rectangles, and cover them with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
- Cook the filling. While the dough is in the fridge, make the filling. Trim the stems off the figs, roughly chop them, and add them to a small saucepan. Add the water, sugar, honey, and orange zest. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the figs are softened and the liquid has reduced, about 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. If the filling is at all watery, put it back in the pot and continue to simmer until thick. Then, put the filling in the fridge to cool.
- Assemble the fig bars. When the dough is firm and the filling is slightly cooled, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll one piece of dough out on a piece of floured parchment paper until it's about 15 inches long and 6 inches wide. Spread half of the fig filling across the middle of the dough, leaving about a ½-inch gap around the edges. Use a spatula or bench scraper to fold one of the long edges over the filling. Repeat with the other edge. Pinch the two edges together in the middle to seal. (See the photos above for details.)
- Repeat the process. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Carefully flip the pastry onto the baking sheet so the seam side faces down. Now repeat the assembly process with the remaining piece of dough and filling, and then flip this onto the baking sheet next to the first.
- Bake. Place the baking sheet in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is lightly golden and firm to the touch.
- Cut and enjoy. Let the fig bags cool, then cut each log into eight pieces for large bars. For smaller bars, cut each of these in half again. Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days.
Notes
To cut down on prep time, you can prepare steps 1-3 up to two days before assembling and baking. Keep the dough and filling stored in the fridge until ready to use.
Adapted from Make the Bread, Buy the Butter by Jennifer Reese
- Prep Time: 75 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Edna Oveissi says
Hello Steve
I made this recipe 2x. I’ve tried couple recipes in the past and this one is absolutely a keeper. I have fig trees and this year is a very good harvest plus my neighbor shared more from her trees. Had to double the recipe with my next bake. I have made fig preserves so I added little over an hour more to thicken the figs for filling. I also added a few flashes of milk to get dough to right consistency and followed the rest of instructions. I also used Bob’s Redmill organic 100%stone ground soft wheat for all the flours . I like that grainy wheat taste and texture and baked bars are soft and gets softer after a day. I will never buy store bought I rarely buy store baked cookies anyway always disappoints me. I shared it with my neighbor says it’s perfect . Saving some fig preserves to make more during the holidays. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. All the best!
Steve says
Hi Edna. I'm happy to hear you're enjoying this recipe! I'm jealous of your fresh figs. I've tried growing a fig tree here in Vermont, but I haven't had luck keeping one alive.
Dennis says
It sounds delicious but your instructions don’t make sense. You say divide the dough into 2 pieces but you only use 1 piece in the recipe to bake. Could you explain a little better. Thank you.
Steve says
Hi Dennis. Sorry for the confusion. I've reorganized the steps to better clarify. You are repeating the same process with the second piece of dough and remaining filling as you did with the first. Hope it's clearer now and I hope you give these a try!
Thomas Safford says
The bottom got mushy from the fig mixture. What to do?
Steve says
Hi Thomas. I've made these fig bars many times and I've never had the bottom get mushy. I'm sorry that happened. It sounds like maybe your fig mixture wasn't cooked long enough. It should be the consistency of a thick jam after blending. If it's at all watery at that point, I'd continue simmering it before spreading it on the dough. I'm updating this blog post this week with more detailed instructions if you'd like to check back and try again.
Mel Mallory says
How would you adjust this recipe for fresh figs? I have a huge mature fig tree and need things to do with my abundant figs. My condolences for your tree.
Steve says
Hi Mel. I think you could just reduce the water when making the fig jam. Maybe start with 1/4 cup and see how it goes. If it's too thick, you can always add more water. If it's too watery, just keep simmering a little longer until it's a jam-like consistency. Hope that works for you. And thanks, I'm going to have to give growing a fig tree another try!