Fig bar cookies with walnuts and a hint of orange, topped with raspberry and brandy icing. A “figgy pudding” cookie recipe!
Oh, bring us some… Figgy bars! And bring ’em right here!
These fig cookies are dense, rich, and moist. They perfectly complement a night of caroling, and the touch of brandy in the raspberry icing will go over well with your wassailers, too! The townsfolk will gather outside your door and beg for more, just like in the old Christmas carol….
Chorus:
“Oh, bring us some figgy pudding… but make it individual serving-sized… and we’re rather fond of triangles… And bring it right here!
Figgy Bar Cookies
Fig bar cookies with walnuts and a hint of orange, topped with raspberry and brandy icing. A "figgy pudding" cookie recipe!
Ingredients
Figgy Bar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup wheat flour
- ¾ teaspoon orange zest (freshly grated)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg (large)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup dried figs (chopped, 6oz for 1 cup, e.g., Calimyrna figs)
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup butter (room temperature, ⅔ stick)
- 1 cup quick oats
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar (packed)
- ⅓ cup molasses
- 1 cup walnuts (chopped)
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons freeze-dried raspberry powder (about ¼ cup whole freeze-dried raspberries)
- 2 Tablespoons brandy
- 1 teaspoon water (warm)
Instructions
Figgy Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a 9×13 baking dish with aluminum foil and lightly spray with nonstick baking spray. Alternately, line the baking dish with parchment paper. Ensure any exposed edges of the baking dish are sprayed with baking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the AP flour, wheat flour, orange zest, baking soda, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt, and mix thoroughly.
- In a separate small bowl, beat the egg and then stir in the vanilla extract.
- In a 2-3 quart sauce pan, add figs and water and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Continue to stir and mash the figs as the water temperature rises until the figs are soft. Once the water is boiling, remove the sauce pan from the heat.
- Add the butter to the hot sauce pan and stir till melted and combined.
- Add the oats and mix thoroughly.
- Add the brown sugar and molasses and mix thoroughly.
- Add the egg and vanilla mixture and mix thoroughly.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients form the large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Stir in the walnuts.
- Pour the mixture into the 9×13 baking dish and spread evenly.
- Bake 23-26 minutes till a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow it to cool.
- Cut the cookies into 5 x 3 rows (15 rectangles), then cut again diagonally to make 30 triangles.
Icing
- Finely chop the freeze-dried raspberries until powdered, e.g., use a small food processor or coffee grinder. Sift the raspberry powder to remove any seed fragments. Continue till you have 2 Tablespoons of raspberry powder.
- Add the powdered sugar and raspberry powder to a small mixing bowl.
- Pour in the brandy and mix thoroughly.
- Add a teaspoon of warm water (as needed for a good consistency for piping) and mix thoroughly.
- Pipe a zig-zag pattern of icing over the cookies and allow the icing to set.
Tips & Tricks:
- To turn the freeze-dried raspberries to powder, use a small food processor or your coffee bean grinder (bonus: you get raspberry coffee later!). Be sure to sift the powder to remove any seed possible seed fragments that didn’t grind. You can find freeze-dried raspberries at most grocery stores.
