It’s Double Delicious Friday!! Who doesn’t love a fig newton?! My family could pound a package of those in one sitting!! Was so excited to find this recipe.

You need a spinach puree for this one! (You will also need to let the dough chill overnight so keep that in mind!)

Fig Bars

Ingredients

Dough

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

♦ 1 cup all-purpose flour

♦ 1/4 tsp baking soda

♦ 1/8 tsp baking powder

♦ 1/8 tsp salt

♦ 3 tsp canola oil

♦ 1 1/2 tablespoons honey

♦ 3-4 tablespoons water

♦ 2 large egg whites

♦ 2 tablespoons lemon juice

♦ Nonstick cooking spray

Filling

1 pound dried figs

♦ 1/2 cup water

♦ 2 tablespoons 100% orange juice concentrate

♦ 2 tablespoons honey

3/4 cup spinach puree

♦ Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt with a wooden spoon. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the oil, honey, 2 tablespoons water, egg whites and lemon juice.  Mix well until a smooth dough forms. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water if the dough is too dry.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough overnight.

2. Make the filling. Chop the figs in a food processor with 2 cups of water. Spoon the puree into a medium saucepan and add the orange concentrate and honey. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium. Cook until most of the liquid evaporates and the mixture is thick, stirring occasionally, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the spinach puree. If the mixture is not smooth, return it to the food processor for 30 seconds.

3. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it into 4 equal parts. Roll each part out into a rectangle about 4 inch thick. Spread the filling equally over each section of the dough. Fold both long sides towards the middle, overlapping them to form a seam. Place the rolls seam-side down onto the baking sheet.

(OK. Maybe they aren’t exact rectangles, but they are close. I did spread more of the spread towards the end of the dough before baking. Also notice that the 2nd roll above looks to be more rounded. That’s because I rolled that one instead of bringing the seams together. Just wanted to see how different it would look.)

4. Bake until the rolls brown slightly and are firm to the touch, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes then cut each roll into 5 cookies. Once cool, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

♥♥♥

Now for the moment of truth:

(1 being dislike/never again : 10 being YES! YES! YES!)

Kid Approval: 7

Parent Approval: 8

Likelihood to make again: 8

Additional Comments: My husband thought the dough was a little dry but that the filling was very good. It certainly isn’t as moist as your store brand. Maybe that’s user-error or maybe that’s just making a healthier dough!  I also found the dough was easier to work with after I let it sit room temp for about 15-20 minutes!