Fig Newtons

Recipe taken from Bravetart by Stella Parks

When I first made the recipe, I tried it as soon as they cooled and was disappointed that they were so dry. However, when I tried one the next day, they were pretty close to perfect. Upon me typing this recipe up for you guys, I read the part about letting them "mature." So YES, definitely do that!!!

I would maybe cut down on the orange zest in the future. The flavor was wonderful but if you are looking for them to be exactly like the original fig newton, the orange flavor was a bit too intense.

Dough --

2 1/4 c. AP flour

5 oz. butter

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

1/2tsp+1/8tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 T. honey

1 tsp. orange zest

1 T. orange juice

3 ea. egg yolks

--Combine butter, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, honey and orange zest

--Mix on low speed to moisten and then increase speed and cream until light and fluffy-about 5 minutes

--Add orange juice, then the yolks-one at a time

--Reduce speed to low and slowly add in dry ingredients

--Flatten into a disc and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until cool and firm but not hard-about 1 hour. If it goes for too long, just leave out of refrigeration for a little bit before rolling out

Preserves--

2 1/2 c. dried figs, stems trimmed

1/3 c. applesauce

2 T. orange juice

--Cut the figs in half. Pulse with applesauce and orange juice in a food processor until roughly chopped, process to thick, smooth paste

--Transfer to a piping bag with a 1/2 in. hole

Make the cookie--

--Knead the dough until pliable and smooth. Dust surface and dough with flour - roll into a 15 in. square.

--Cut into 3 1/4 inch wide strips

--Pipe a 1 inch wide strip down the center of each portion and fold both sides of the cookie into the center

--Flatten gently with fingertips, flip over so seam is on the bottom

--Bake at 350 for about 16-18 minutes

--Immediately cut into 1 inch pieces - metal bench scraper works best but a knife will work perfectly fine too

***Transfer to an airtight container. Cover and "mature" for at least 6 hours before serving - prior to that, the cookies will taste dry