Fig newtons (and giveaway)

I'm not quite sure what to tell you about today. I'll tell you that summer is going by too fast but somehow it barely feels like summer. Oregon has rewarded us with a week of warmth, only to have rain and gray days to follow.

On days when it's 65 degrees (yes, you heard right) and miserable outside, it seems like everyone's pace is much slower than usual and few of us feel motivated enough to smile. On those days, I'm glad I can get in the kitchen and bake something. The oven keeps the apartment nice and warm in the evening, as if it really were hot outside.

These cookies were, surprisingly, a breeze to make. The dough needs to rest overnight in the fridge, but it takes about 10 min to put together and it's the easiest dough you've ever rolled. This said by someone who really hates rolling dough. The filling is even simpler. Dried figs, a bit of water, period.

Yes, I know what you're thinking. Why would I make these at home when I can buy a box of Fig Newtons at the grocery store for a couple bucks?. Well, just like with Thin Mint cookies, the homemade version is better. Far better. The cookie is softer and more buttery and the filling is just plain clean fig taste. They really are worth the little effort they involve.

Before the recipe, I'd like to announce a giveaway from Food on The Table. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, Food on The Table is a web and mobile service that creates meal plans and generates grocery lists according to your tastes/needs. After indicating food preferences/dietary restrictions, you'll be able to choose from a variety of recipes and Food on the Table will automatically build a grocery list for you. Moreover, their service will tell you which grocery stores on your area have sales on those items in your list. 

Sound good? Well then, to enter the giveway, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me which store sold cookie/candy/cake, you like making home versions of. For extra entries, follow Baking Powders on Facebook , or post about this giveaway on Twitter. Please leave a separate comment for the extra entries and indicate your FB/twitter name. You can enter until Thursday August 9th at midnight. The winner will be chosen and published on Friday August 10th. Good luck!

AND THE WINNER IS... ANDREAMC!

Fig Newtons
Adapted from Faux Martha

2/3 cup all purpose flour (more if needed)
6 tbsp softened unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling:
1 cup dried Black Mission figs
1/4 cup water

For the dough

With a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the two egg yolks and vanilla and beat to combine. In a bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Incorporate the flour mixture into the wet mixture, mixing with a spatula. At this point, depending on how warm your butter is, the dough might be really soft and very sticky. If this happens, you can add a bit more flour until the dough is soft and elastic but doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl. On the contrary, if the dough doesn't come together, you can add a tablespoon of water at a time and mix it in until the dough comes together. At this point, cover your dough with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge overnight. 

For the filling

In a food processor, combine the figs and water and process until you get a paste. If your figs are very dry you might need a bit more water. I didn't have any booze around, but I'm sure some bourbon or rum would go perfectly well with those figs. 

Preheat the oven at 350 F. 

Once the dough has rested, roll it to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut it into 3 1/4 inch strips. I'm not to concerned about perfect shapes, so I made a couple of them a bit wider. The only trick here is to work quickly. Since it's a soft dough, the more time you spend rolling it, the stickier it will get. I rolled mine between two pieces of parchment paper to make my life easier and then left the dough in the fridge for 5 min before adding the filling.

Spread the filling in the center third of your dough strips. Fold the sides of the dough over the filling and place them upside down on a cookie sheet (so the seam is facing the sheet). Cut the dough to form your cookies, as long or as short as you want them. Bake the cookies for 10-12 min or until golden brown. Once cold, store them in an airtight container. Mine didn't last at all, but I think you don't want to keep them for more than 4 days anyone as the dough softens up overtime.