These healthy gluten-free Fig Newtons are a wonderful adult and kid-friendly cookie recipe. They do not require any baking, are refined sugar-free (i.e. naturally sweetened), vegan, and dairy-free, too!
Now that I am a little more grown up I find myself craving foods from childhood that I never liked very much. Part of that probably stems from the fact that I am a bit hard-headed and do not take “No” for an answer. Can you relate?!
When you tell my taste buds, “No, you can’t crave that cookie because they don’t make it gluten-free,” something within me throws a hissy fit and I find myself craving it even more.
So what is the secret to making a healthy gluten-free fig newton really taste like a fig newton?! There’s a special ingredient I found that does wonders for re-creating the classic taste.
What is that secret ingredient?!… Orange juice!
Orange juice is used in both the cookie crust as well as the fig filling in this recipe. Feel free to use fresh orange juice or previously squeezed orange juice that is not from concentrate and pulp free.
What is the shelf-life of these healthy gluten-free Fig Newtons?
At least a month in the refrigerator!
Who will you be making these fig newtons for? Maybe your kiddo for an afternoon school snack? Or maybe even for your family member who needs a little pre-workout bite. I would love to hear in the comments section below 🙂 Have a fig-tastic day!
DID YOU MAKE THESE HEALTHY GLUTEN-FREE FIG NEWTONS?
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PIN THESE HEALTHY GLUTEN-FREE FIG NEWTONS
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No-Bake Healthy Gluten-Free Fig Newtons
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Ingredients
- 1 ¾ c almond flour
- 1 ½ c oat flour gluten-free
- 2 T coconut oil melted
- 1/3 c honey or maple syrup
- 1-2 T orange juice
Fig Filling:
- 1 ½ c dried figs soaked in warm water for 30 minutes
- 1 T orange juice
- 1 T honey or maple syrup
- ½ t cinnamon
- 3-4 T water
Instructions
- Before you start preparing your fig newton cookie crust, soak 1 ½ c. dried figs in water for 30 minutes. Make sure the water covers the figs by at least 1 inch.
For the Cookie Crust:
- In a large bowl, combine both flours and toss to combine. Add oil, honey or syrup, and orange juice to the bowl and mix with a hand held blender or by hand until the mixture is well incorporated and resembles the consistency in the picture below.
- On a 1 ½ ft. long piece of wax paper place your cookie crust mixture. Roll the mixture out to make a 9 x 14 inch rectangle. The cookie crust will be about ½ inch thick. Refrigerate the fig newton crust while preparing the fig filling.
For the Fig Filling:
- Drain figs and place all ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender. Process until almost smooth, but still slightly chunky.
- (Make sure you are using a HIGH-speed blender such as a NutriBullet or Vitamix.)
- Retrieve the cookie crust from the refrigerator and cut a line down the middle of the rectangle, making two 4.5 inch x 14 inch rectangles. Place half of filling down the center of each new rectangle as pictured below.
- Roll up each rectangle, using the wax paper to help guide your crust, until the two sides meet. See picture.
- (Sometimes it is easier to completely cut through the wax paper and separate the two halves before attempting to roll them.)
- Once both rectangles are rolled into a log, refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting into 1-inch wide fig newtons.
- Keep cookies refrigerated between servings for best texture.
- Cookies can last for up to 1 month if kept refrigerated.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Want a few more quick snack ideas that are also healthy?
No-Bake Paleo Molasses Cookies | Vegan & Gluten Free
Healthy German Chocolate Bars with Almond Butter
4-Ingredient Almond Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal Bites
Can you use fresh figs for this?
Fresh figs are not recommended as they can add quite a bit of moisture to the filling! You can always try chopping them up and cooking them down in a skillet before using, though!
Any recommendations for a substitute for the Almond flour and coconut oil?
Hi Marie! I haven’t tried this recipe with anything other than those ingredients. Since they’re not baked I would hesitate to use regular flour as it will have quite an off-putting taste. Oat flour would be my first guess. And either butter or another neutral-flavored oil will work for the coconut oil. Would love to know how these turn out for you if you try them!
Can you replace the figs with a different fruit?
Hi Melena! You can, but I haven’t tried another fruit. Just pay attention to how much moisture different fruits add to the mix. The best substitutes would be dates, prunes, peaches, or apricots.
Can these be frozen? I’m looking to get some Christmas cookies done ahead of time.
These can be refrigerated for a full month! Or you can freeze them, as well.
Any sub for that coconut oil?
I cannot do oils or butter.
You can generally sub in applesauce for oils in baking. I haven’t personally tried it in this recipe, let me know if you like it!
Yummy!! I also put in pitted dates with the figs it’s gave them a rich sweetness. My son loved them his favorite are the nature’s bakery raspberry fig bars and these he gobbled up also.
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Jenny! What a great addition for natural sweetness. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Any sub for the oil??’
I can’t do oil or vegan butter.
You can always add a high-fat liquid such as coconut milk. The texture won’t be quite the same, but they should hold together OK.
Can you use fresh figs?
Hi Geri! No, unfortunately fresh figs will not work in this recipe since they contain a lot more moisture. If you want a fresh fig recipe, though, you should check out this Fig Jam – it’s so good!
These sound great… fig newtons are a fav of my hubby & I would love to try this out for him. I don’t see a measurement for the almond flour in the recipe listing? Also is there a specific type of dried fig that you would suggest? Thanks!
This recipe tastes SO much like fig newtons it’s crazy! If you scroll down to the bottom you’ll see a recipe card with all of the measurements (so 1 3/4 cup almond flour). As far as the type of fig, I normally purchase whatever my grocery store has on hand which is either Turkish figs or Mission figs. They’ll all taste pretty incredible in the recipe, though!